Shortly before the Tampa Bay Lightning were set to face off against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday night, it was announced that the Lightning would be without forward Jack Finley and defenseman Max Crozier due to illness.
Finley has been spending the last few games on the wing of the fourth-line alongside Oliver Bjorkstrand and Nick Paul. For tonight's game, he will be replaced by the Syracuse Crunch's leading scorer, Jakob Pelletier.
Finley has in 18 games for the Lightning this season, scoring 2 goals and adding an assist on the offensive front. The most difficult asset of his to replace though is simply his size. As a 6-foot-6 forward, Finley plays a specific role which will be difficult for the 5-foot-11 Pelletier to replace.
As for Crozier, he's been paired with Declan Carlile on the third pairing and he'll be replaced by Simon Lundmark who is going to make his NHL debut.
Crozier has played 31 games for the Lightning this season and is on pace for his first-ever full season at the NHL level. He's scored one goal and chipped in nine assists for the Lightning while helping hold down a blue line that has been decimated by injuries this season.