Tampa Bay Lightning head coach Jon Cooper announced the team will be without defenseman Victor Hedman tonight. He also confirmed defenseman Erik Cernak will be back in the lineup.
Cernak missed the last two Lightning games with an injury he sustained during the March 2 game against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Hedman was injured during the Lightning’s embarrassing 6-0 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes two days ago.
Cooper hopes Hedman’s injury isn’t long-term.
“I’d put him in that day-to-day category,” he said.
Hedman has missed only three games this year and has been having a successful season in Tampa. In 60 games he has six goals and 42 points with 26 penalty minutes and a +10 rating. Cernak is fresh off of signing an eight-year deal with the Lightning worth $41.6 million. He has one goal and 11 points in 53 games this year.
The Lightning have been struggling of late, losing their last two games by a combined score of 11-2. They are 2-5-3 in their last 10 games and played a completely flat 60 minutes against the Hurricanes on Sunday. Luckily for them, they have such a huge lead over the next teams in the Atlantic Division that they have the luxury of being able to limp to the finish line if need be.
It is possible that three years of long playoff runs are finally catching up to them. They are set to play the Philadelphia Flyers tonight at home in Tampa. Although they will be without their best defenseman, having Cernak back will be a plus. This game would be a good one to turn their skid around and start racking up the wins again.
The Lightning are set to play the Toronto Maple Leafs in the first round, a rematch of last season. According to MoneyPuck.com, the Lightning have a 38.5% chance of defeating the Maple Leafs in the opening round.
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