The Tampa Bay Lightning made a couple of moves on Saturday as they sent Jesse Ylonen back to Syracuse and recalled goaltender Matt Tomkins. Much like Gabriel Fortier earlier in the week, Ylonen was recalled for just a day and didn’t appear in any games. Tomkins is likely to dress as the back-up for tomorrow’s game against the Seattle Kraken.
For Tomkins it’s the fourth time he’s been recalled from the AHL, but he’s yet to appear in a game. With Jonas Johansson still on the mend, Tomkins might be around for a couple of games. The Lightning don’t have a back-to-back until next week so there is no urgent need for a back-up just yet. We’ll have to wait and see if Johansson is ready to go by the time the Lightning take on Florida and then Columbus next week.
Tomkins appeared in six games last season, posting a 3-2-1 record with a 3.33 GAA and .892 SV%. With the Crunch this year he’s 9-9-4 with a 2.54 GAA and .911 SV%. Three of his wins have come via shutout which is tied for sixth in the league and is one behind his teammate Brandon Halverson.
There was a report earlier this month that HV71, a team in the Swedish Hockey League, had inquired about signing Tomkins for the rest of their season. The 30 year-old is no stranger to the SHL as he played with Frolunda HC in 2021-22 and Farjestad BK in 2022-23. It is possible that he heads back overseas this summer, but for now he’s staying in the Lightning organization.
