Hedman (undisclosed) won't return to Tuesday's game versus the Canadiens.
This was Hedman's third game back from an undisclosed injury that landed him on injured reserve, but it's not clear if this issue is related. It could be, as Hedman hasn't quite looked like himself since his return. The 34-year-old defenseman's status should be updated prior to Thursday's game versus the Devils.
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Lightning's Dominic James: Unavailable Tuesday
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James (undisclosed) won't play against Montreal on Tuesday, Benjamin Pierce of the Lightning's official site reports.
James will miss his second straight game, and it's unclear when he will be ready to return to the lineup. He has provided two goals, three assists, 20 shots on net and 28 hits through 19 outings this campaign.
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Lightning's Curtis Douglas: Back in action
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Douglas (undisclosed) won't play Tuesday versus the Canadiens, Benjamin Pierce of the Lightning's official site reports.
Douglas will return from a one-game absence to fill a fourth-line role. Based on his typical usage, he likely will see about five minutes of ice time while serving as an enforcer.
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Lightning's Jonas Johansson: Protecting net Tuesday
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Johansson will guard the road goal versus the Canadiens on Tuesday, Erik Erlendsson of LightningInsider.com reports.
Johansson will start both halves of a road back-to-back. He stopped 22 of 23 shots versus the Maple Leafs in a 2-0 loss Monday, and that light workload was likely part of the factor in the Lightning going back to Johansson a day later rather than Brandon Halverson. The Canadiens have scored just 15 goals over their last six games with a 3-3-0 record in that span.
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Lightning's Scott Sabourin: Set for call-up
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Sabourin will be recalled from AHL Syracuse on Tuesday, Eduardo A. Encina of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
Sabourin has logged just three games for the Lightning this season in which he tallied one goal, one assist and five shots while averaging 10:21 of ice time. With Curtis Douglas (undisclosed) and Dominic James (undisclosed) both dealing with injuries, Sabourin will serve as an emergency depth option for the team's upcoming three-game road trip.
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Lightning's Brayden Point: Peppers net in return to lineup
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Point (undisclosed) fired four shots on net and added one hit and a minus-1 rating in Monday's 2-0 loss to the Maple Leafs.
After missing the prior seven games, Point returned to the lineup Monday and slotted right back onto the top power-play unit while tying for the team lead in shots on net. It's been a rough season so far for the 29-year-old center, who has just three goals and 11 points in 22 games, but the time off may have allowed him to get re-focused in addition to getting healthy.
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Lightning's Jonas Johansson: No support again Monday
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Johansson stopped 22 of 23 shots in Monday's 2-0 loss to the Maple Leafs, with Toronto's final goal getting scored into an empty net.
With Andrei Vasilevskiy (undisclosed) landing on IR earlier in the day, Johansson made his third straight start and, for the second straight outing, watched the Lightning get shut out in front of him. Vasilevskiy doesn't have a timeline yet for his return, but Johansson has held down the fort well in his place, posting a 2.09 GAA and a .917 save percentage in his three December starts despite getting stuck with a record of 0-3-0. Tampa Bay is back in action Tuesday in Montreal, so Brandon Halverson could be in line to make his first NHL start of the season.
Lightning's Ethan Samson: Sent to new organization
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Samson was acquired by the Lightning from the Flyers on Monday in exchange for Roman Schmidt.
Samson has yet to make his NHL debut, and while Tampa Bay didn't make it official in its press release, the 22-year-old will more than likely report to AHL Syracuse. The British Columbia native picked up four helpers and four PIM across 10 games with AHL Lehigh Valley in 2025-26. Samson was a sixth-round selection by Philadelphia in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft.
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Lightning's Curtis Douglas: Won't play Monday
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Douglas (undisclosed) will be out of the lineup versus Toronto on Monday, Lightning radio announcer Dave Mishkin reports.
Douglas skated prior to Monday's game versus the Maple Leafs, so it's possible he is serving as a healthy scratch rather than still dealing with an injury. Considering the 25-year-old center is stuck in an 11-game point drought, few fantasy managers are likely to be impacted by his absence, regardless of the reason.
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Lightning's Dominic James: Won't play Monday
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James (undisclosed) has been ruled out for Monday's game against Toronto, Lightning radio announcer Dave Mishkin reports.
James suffered an undisclosed injury during Saturday's loss to the Islanders, and he'll be forced to miss at least one game due to the issue. Jack Finley will remain in the lineup for Monday's matchup, while James' next opportunity to return will be Tuesday in Montreal. However, James wasn't on the ice for Monday's morning skate, so it wouldn't be surprising to see him sit out the second half of the back-to-back set.
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Lightning's Brayden Point: Returning to action Monday
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Point (undisclosed) will return to the lineup for Monday's game against the Maple Leafs, Luke Fox of Sportsnet reports.
Point missed the last seven games due to injury, but he's slated to return to action in a top-line role on the road Monday. The 29-year-old had gotten off to a somewhat slow start to the 2025-26 campaign prior to his absence, recording just three goals, eight assists, eight blocked shots, three hits and six PIM while averaging 18:52 of ice time over 21 appearances.
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Lightning's Nikita Kucherov: Suiting up versus Leafs
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Kucherov (undisclosed) will be in the lineup against Toronto on Monday, Lightning radio announcer Dave Mishkin reports.
Kucherov missed Saturday's game against the Islanders due to his undisclosed injury but looks good to go after just one missed contest. Prior to his absence, the world-class winger was lighting it up offensively, with six multi-point games in his last seven outings, racking up three goals and 12 assists in that span.
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Lightning's Jonas Johansson: Starting against Toronto
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Johansson will start Monday's road game against Toronto, Lightning radio announcer Dave Mishkin reports.
Johansson has gone 0-2-0 with five goals allowed on 49 shots over his last two starts, but he'll tend the twine for a third consecutive matchup after Andrei Vasilevskiy (undisclosed) was placed on injured reserve Monday. It's not yet clear when Vasilevskiy will be able to return, but Johansson should continue to see an uptick in playing time during his absence.
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Lightning's Andrei Vasilevskiy: Moves to IR
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Vasilevskiy (undisclosed) was placed on injured reserve Monday, per the NHL media site.
Vasilevskiy will miss his third straight game when the Lightning visit Toronto on Monday, and a timeline for his return remains unclear. Still, he won't be eligible for Tuesday's road game against Montreal after landing on the IR list. He has gone 11-6-2 with one shutout, a 2.31 GAA and a .916 save percentage through 19 appearances this season. Jonas Johansson should see the bulk of the starts until Vasilevskiy is back in the fold.
Santini has been re-assigned to AHL Syracuse, the Lightning announced Sunday.
Santini got into seven games in the few weeks he was at the NHL level, picking up an assist while averaging 12:01 of ice time per night. The 30-year-old was a healthy scratch the last two games, though. In the AHL with Syracuse, he has four assists in 13 games.
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Lightning's Jonas Johansson: Tough loss in tight game
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Johansson made 17 saves in a 2-0 loss to the Islanders on Saturday.
He allowed just one goal, a between-the-legs power-play snipe by Calum Ritchie at 12:46 of the third period. Johansson has lost two games in a row with Andrei Vasilevskiy out with an undisclosed injury. However, this game wasn't on him -- it was a true goalie's duel.
James suffered an undisclosed injury during Saturday's 2-0 loss to the Islanders. There was no update on his status after the game, per Benjamin Pierce of the Lightning's official site.
James had one shot and one hit in 13:06 of ice time in the loss. He now has two goals and five points through 19 appearances this season. Curtis Douglas (undisclosed) was also injured Saturday, so Tampa Bay might need to promote a couple of forwards from the minors before Monday's game in Toronto.
