The Tampa Bay Lightning have announced that defenseman Erik Cernak will be out day-to-day with an upper-body injury and Haydn Fleury is week-to-week with an upper-body injury.
Cernak has five points in 37 games this season and last played on Dec. 31 against the Montreal Canadiens logging 6:39 minutes of ice time.
Fleury has tallied four points in 12 games and last suited up in Sunday’s 4-3 win over Montreal logging 9:27 minutes of ice time.
Cernak has played a pivotal role in helping the Bolts win back-to-back Stanley Cups in 2020 and 2021. The Kosice, Slovakia product is in the first year of an eight-year, $41.6 million contract; the contract has a cap hit of $5.2 million and runs through 2030-31. He has a no-trade clause from 2024-25 until 2026-27 and then a modified no-trade clause for the remainder of the contract.
The two-time Stanley Cup champ and 2021 Slovakian Player of the Year has appeared in 33 games with the Bolts, registering 18 goals, and 62 assists for 80 points. He has also racked up 926 hits and 456 blocked shots throughout his career so far.
Fleury was recently recalled from his condition stint in the American Hockey League (AHL) with the Syracuse Crunch. The Carlyle, Saskatchewan product has appeared in 256 games over parts of seven seasons with the Carolina Hurricanes, Anaheim Ducks and Bolts. The Hurricanes initially selected Fleury with the No. 7 pick in the 2014 NHL Draft. Fleury played major junior hockey with the Red Deer Rebels.
Tampa is set to face off against the 22-9-4 Winnipeg Jets on Tuesday and the Minnesota Wild on Thursday. The Bolts sit fourth in the Atlantic Division with an 18-15-5 record and 41 points tied with the Toronto Maple Leafs.
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