Technically, a week before Christmas is still “before Christmas”. That’s the timeline head coach Jon Cooper gave reporters prior to the Lightning’s 5-2 loss to the Florida Panthers when he was asked about the health of Andrei Vasilevskiy. On Tuesday, the Lightning made a couple of moves that would indicate that their all-world goaltender is ready to return to action.
The team announced that Scott Sabourin and Brandon Halverson had been assigned to Syracuse. There does remain the chance that this is just a roster move as the Syracuse Crunch do play on Wednesday. Both players could suit up for that game and then be eligible for a recall if the Lightning’s injured players aren’t quite ready to step onto the ice.
Sabourin’s loan back to the Crunch likely means that Dominic James is ready to return as well. The other likelihood is that they are ready to bring Jack Finley back from his conditioning stint in the AHL. Finley was loaned out on December 12 and has scored one goal in his two games with Syracuse.
The big news is in net. Vasilevskiy, who has been out of action since December 2, was also participating at the morning skate on Monday, so there are strong indications that his return is imminent. The Bolts are on the ice this Thursday, hosting the Los Angeles Kings as they look to correct a December swoon.
Since he’s been sidelined, Jonas Johansson has started all seven games and the team has posted a 2-4-1 record. During that stretch he’s posted a .899 SV%, 2.59 GAA, and a 2.86 GSAx. He was the hard luck loser in a couple of those outings, most notably against the Islanders and Maple Leafs when he stopped a combined 40 out of 42 shots but the Bolts were shut out in both games.
If he is healthy and ready to go, expect Vasilevskiy to get a lion’s share of the starts leading up to the Olympic break. Tampa Bay has three more starts before the holiday break and expectations would be that he is in net for all of them. They do have a back-to-back out of the gate following that, but then their next one isn’t until the middle of January.
With the exception of their wins against Montreal and New Jersey, the Lightning have struggled to score this month. Having their top goaltender back in between the pipes may allow them to relax a bit and focus more on putting the puck in the opponent’s net. Vasilevskiy had been on a tear prior to the mysterious injury as he has an 11-6-2 record with a .917 SV%, 2.31 GAA, and outstanding 16.93 GSAx on the season.
While it’s good news that Vasilevskiy is returning, the Lightning still have a long way to go before being at full health. Victor Hedman (IR), Emil Lilleberg (IR), and Erik Cernak (LTIR) remain out long term. Ryan McDonagh has resumed skating, but his return date is still unknown at this point.
