Key Lightning Defenseman Returns to Practice
One of the Lightning's top defensemen was back at practice today, while another notable player was missing.
Today's (Jan. 8) Tampa Bay Lightning practice had some notable developments. Defenseman Erik Cernak was back on the ice and wearing a regular-colored practice jersey. Winger Tanner Jeannot, however, was not a participant.
Cernak has been sidelined with an upper-body injury since the beginning of the new year. The right-shot defenseman last played on Dec. 31 against the Montreal Canadiens, where he was limited to only 6:39 of playing time.
The Lightning have certainly been missing Cernak in their lineup, as they are 1-2-0 over that span. With that, their last loss to the Boston Bruins saw them lose by a 7-3 final score.
In 37 games this season, Cernak has zero goals and five assists.
Jeannot, on the other hand, left the Bolts' last game against the Bruins early with an upper-body injury after taking a hit from Trent Frederic. Given his absence from today's practice, it seems likely that he will be out versus the Los Angeles Kings tonight.
In 41 games this season, Jeannot has six goals and 12 points. While he has not produced too much offensively, he has made a big impact with physicality, as his 132 hits show.