Injuries have made news regarding who's in and who's out for the Tampa Bay Lightning a hot topic of discussion ahead of each and every game. Here is a quick update before tonight's contest against the Winnipeg Jets.
First and foremost, Brian Boyle will be unavailable tonight and most likely Thursday night as well. He suffered an unfortunate lower-body injury in Saturday night's matchup against the Hurricanes. Boyle was having a fantastic season to this point, scoring ten goals and serving as a leader both on and off the ice.
Boyle's absence leads to the NHL debut of Adam Erne, a former second-round pick of the Lightning back in 2013. Erne recorded eight goals and 18 assists in 31 games for the Syracuse Crunch this season.
It appears that Ryan Callahan could make his return to the ice tonight. He has not played since late November due to a lower-body injury involving his hip. Callahan has only appeared in 15 games this season and has recorded four points. During today's morning skate, coach Jon Cooper stated that Callahan is listed as probable for the game tonight.
Callahan on his availability for tonight: "Everything feels good. Last couple skates have been positive. We feel like we're ready to go."
— Bryan Burns (@BBurnsNHL) January 3, 2017
In addition, Cedric Paquette skated this morning for the first time in a while after being sidelined since mid-December with a lower-body injury. He is hopeful to return to action Thursday night when the Bolts host the Predators.
Tonight's game against the Winnipeg Jets is scheduled for a 7:30 p.m. ET start time.