The Tampa Bay Lightning recalled defenseman Max Groshev from the Syracuse Crunch ahead of their matchup against the Islanders on Tuesday. This marks the second time Groshev has been called up in the past week, though he did not make his NHL debut during the previous stint and likely won’t see action tonight.
The Lightning’s blue line has been hit hard by injuries this season. Captain Victor Hedman is on LTIR, Ryan McDonagh and Erik Cernak remain on injured reserve, and Max Crozier is sidelined with an undisclosed injury, though he’s expected to be nearing a return. Charle-Edouard D'Astous, Declan Carlile, and Steven Santini have all stepped in to take their place.
Hedman and Crozier returned to practice on Monday, participating in drills, while McDonagh appeared on the bench and joined the post-practice stretch circle.
“Crozier’s close. Heddy’s probably not, but he got to twirl around a little and participate in some drills,” Jon Cooper told reporters. “You see Mac and Pointer come out at the end. The fact that they’re on the ice doesn’t speed up when they’re coming back — there’s still a timetable. Cro is the closest.”
Cernak, who has missed the past four games with an undisclosed injury, was not on the ice, but he’s expected to miss significant time and is eligible to return at some point in December.