Prior to their game against the Ottawa Senators, the Tampa Bay Lightning put their newly-signed goaltender, Brandon Halverson, on waivers. If he clears today he will be reassigned to the Syracuse Crunch. Since he was still technically on the roster, he served as Andrei Vasilevskiy’s back-up for the win.
Halverson should clear, and could be in Syracuse in time for their game against Utica later tonight. Or, the Lightning could recall him prior to Saturday’s game against Detroit and then reassign him to Syracuse after their game against Montreal on Sunday. Or, they could swap him out with Matt Tomkins over the weekend. Simply put, if he clears, they will have options. There is always a chance someone claims him, but that is a rather remote chance.
With the Lightning on a back-to-back, the Lightning could recall him for a start this weekend. It would be poetic for the Michigan native to get his first NHL start (and second appearance) against the Red Wings. It doesn’t sound like Jonas Johansson will be back until after the break, so it’s likely to be Halverson or Tomkins playing one of the two games this weekend.
The Lightning signed Halverson to a two-year deal earlier in the week.
Lightning News
Lightning run points streak to four games with 5-1 win over Ottawa [Raw Charge]
Wins are always nice. Wins against divisional opponents are even sweeter. Three late goals made the win look a little more comfortable than it actually was.
#NHL GameScore Impact Card for Tampa Bay Lightning on 2025-02-06 #GoBolts
— HockeyStatCards (@hockeystatcards.com) February 6, 2025 at 9:55 PM
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Really solid game from Ryan McDonagh last night.
Lightning recall Conor Sheary [Raw Charge]
With Anthony Cirelli on the shelf, the Lightning turned to veteran Conor Sheary to fill the hole on offense.
Brandon Halverson’s long journey back to the NHL [Tampa Bay Times]
From the farm to the NHL, Halverson’s journey is one of perseverance and determination.
Orlando Solar Bears sign familiar name [Orlando Solar Bears]
Ty Taylor is back in the Lightning system! Kind of. After his rights were traded to Edmonton in the deal referenced below, Taylor signs a SPC with Orlando. With all of the goaltending shuffling going on with Syracuse and Tampa Bay, Orlando needed a netminder, and they went back to Taylor, who played one game with them back in the 2021-22 season. His NHL rights still reside with Edmonton.
Hockey News
32 Thoughts: NHL is heading into uncharted territory [Sportsnet]
Elliotte Friedman delves into some salary cap talk and also confirms that the Lightning were among the teams looking to add Brandon Saad after he terminated his contract. He also brings up Alex Tuch as a potential target for the Bolts.
Potential Cap Dump Fodder heading into the deadline [Daily Face-Off]
Could the Lightning get in the cap-washing business? They helped facilitate the Adam Henrique-to-Edmonton deal last year. Here are some players that other teams might need help moving.
Ranking every player in the 4 Nations Face-Off [ESPN]
Anthony Cirelli (44), Brandon Hagel (43), Jake Guentzel (27), Brayden Point (16), and Victor Hedman (14). There ya go.
Five NHL trades that would be as earth-shattering as Luka Doncic to the Lakers [Bleacher Report]
Sara Civian posits five swaps that would rock the NHL world. Of those that she listed, Sidney Crosby to the Avalanche is our favorite.
The Gr8 Chase: Ovechkin scores 879, 16 away from the record [NHL]
Ovi picked up goal number 879 against Ivan Fedatov. It was also the 35th goal he’s scored against teams coached by John Tortorella. Long live the Southeast Division!
