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Lightning in Bind as Vasilevskiy Heads to IR

Originally posted on The Hockey Writers
By Harrison Smajovits | Last updated Dec 8, 2025 2:20 PM ET

The Tampa Bay Lightning will have to navigate the next couple of games without their star netminder. According to Lightning insider Erik Erlendsson, Andrei Vasilevskiy is heading to injured reserve (IR). He is set to miss Monday night’s game against the Toronto Maple Leafs and Tuesday’s game against the Montreal Canadiens.

#GoBolts have placed G Andrei Vasilevskiy on injured reserve. He last played on Tuesday in New York, so he'll miss tonight's game in Toronto and tomorrow in Montreal at the minimum. #TBLightning
— Lightning Insider (@Erik_Erlendsson) December 8, 2025

There are still no specifics on the injury. The organization hasn’t even noted if it’s the upper or lower body. A player on IR must wait seven days from their last game before they can rejoin the lineup. So, Vasilevskiy’s next eligible contest is in New Jersey against the Devils on Thursday.

Vasilevskiy Heads to IR

Vasilevskiy last played on Tuesday against the New York Islanders. Since then, backup goalie Jonas Johansson has been between the pipes, playing two games, one against the Pittsburgh Penguins and a rematch against the Islanders, both losses.

Losing one of the league’s top goalies to injury is a major blow. The Lightning were already without him for training camp and most of the preseason. Until last week, he had played well, with a .926 save percentage (SV%) and an 11-4-1 record over his last 16 games.

Johansson is serviceable and familiar with filling in for Vasilevskiy. At the start of the 2023-24 season, he was the starting goalie while the 2019 Vezina Trophy winner was recovering from back surgery. This season, he has an .896 SV% in 10 games, which is on par with the .893 SV% he’s had since coming to Tampa Bay ahead of the same season he filled in for Vasilevskiy.

It’s presumed that Johansson’s backup will be Brandon Halverson, who has already been recalled to the NHL roster. He has gone 9-4-0 with a .901 SV% over 13 games with the American Hockey League’s Syracuse Crunch this season. He was in net for the Lightning once last season, saving 19 of 24 shots against the Utah Mammoth on March 22.

The Lightning had to play their most recent game without either their star goalie or their star forward, Nikita Kucherov. He last played on Thursday against the Penguins. At the time writing, there was no update on Kucherov’s status.