The big question following yesterday’s loss to the Flyers was, who will the Lightning call upon to fill two large holes in offense and defense at tonight’s match against the Bruins?
According to Erik Erlendsson of the Tampa Tribune, the Lightning had one open roster slot. Calling up two people from the Syracuse Crunch would’ve necessitated a current roster member going on IR. This might bode well for the health of Tyler Johnson and Victor Hedman — at least the staff has not considered either one wounded enough to put on IR.
The winner of the call-up went to Vladislav Namestnikov. According to the Tampa Bay Lightning site:
The Tampa Bay Lightning have recalled forward Vladislav Namestnikov from the Syracuse Crunch of the American Hockey League today, vice president and general manager Steve Yzerman announced.Namestnikov, 22, has skated in 23 games with the Lightning this season, posting three goals and seven points to go along with four penalty minutes. He recorded his first career NHL goal and assist on October 13 against the Montreal Canadiens. The 6-foot, 182 pound forward tallied his first career game-winning goal on October 24 in Winnipeg. Namestnikov has played in 27 career NHL games, all with the Lightning over the past two seasons. [Tampa Bay Lightning]
Erik Erlendsson later tweeted that while Johnson and Hedman will not play tonight, neither are considered long-term, and both may return before the All-Star break. Johnson is considered closer to recovery than Hedman.
