It’s been a rough 2024 for Erik Cernak. He missed the first four games of the year after taking a big hit from Josh Anderson of the Canadiens on New Year’s Eve. He returned for Tuesday’s game against the Los Angeles Kings and played 19:34. Unfortunately for the Lightning he would not make it through his second game back.
With just a few minutes to go in the first period against the New Jersey Devils, Cernak took a hit up high from Nathan Bastain:
The good news is that they have a four-day break following their game on Saturday against the Anaheim Ducks (their injury woes are detailed below). Hopefully, a few of the banged-up Bolts will be ready to go following the break.
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Lightning win! Lightning win! [Raw Charge]
It’s nice when Nikita Kucherov posts another multi-point night and that gets lost in the shuffle a bit. Darren Raddysh had the game-winner while Luke Glendening had a two-goal night.
Lightning recall Gage Goncalves [Raw Charge]
Over-age Gage became the latest rookie to make his debut for the Lightning. If nothing else, there will be plenty of Tampa Bay rookie cards to collect in next year’s hockey card sets.
Trevor Zegras, Pavel Mintyukov sidelined with significant injuries [The Athletic]
A few days after trading Jamie Drysdale, the Anaheim Ducks were hit with a couple of key injuries. Trevor Zegras is expected to miss 6-8 weeks after needing surgery for a broken ankle while Pavel Mintyukov is out an estimated 6 weeks with a separated shoulder. This is on top of rookie center Leo Carlsson already missing from the line-up with an injury. Tough season gets tougher.
We have a trade to report [Eyes on the Prize]
Good ol’ future considerations was on the move again as the Canadiens sent them to Buffalo in exchange for Filip Cederqvist. The forward was a fifth-round pick in 2019 by the Sabres and has been playing in Rochester. He will report to Laval.
2024 trade deadline objectives – Eastern Conference [Daily FaceOff]
They have the Lightning in the “Hold the Line” category. Their lack of assets will keep them out of the market this year according to the folks at DFO. We’ll see about that.
Gabriel Landeskog back on the ice [Puck Yeti Twitter]
The Avalanche’s captain was back on the ice for the first time since undergoing a cartilage transplant in his knee last May. He is still expected to miss the rest of the season, but it’s a good sign for the 31-year-old who hasn’t played in the game since the Avalanche defeated the Lightning in the Stanley Cup Final in 2022.
