Cernak recorded an assist and three shots on goal in Friday's 5-3 loss to the Wild.
Cernak was able to avoid missing time after exiting Wednesday's game in Colorado with an upper-body injury. The 27-year-old blueliner plays a hard game, which often makes him a magnet for injuries. That doesn't tend to be a problem for fantasy managers, as Cernak rarely scores enough to warrant consideration in most formats. He has four assists, nine shots on net, 16 hits, 15 blocked shots, 10 PIM and a plus-2 rating through 11 outings.
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Lightning's Ryan McDonagh: Helpers in back-to-back games
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McDonagh logged an assist in Friday's 5-3 loss to the Wild.
McDonagh has a helper in consecutive contests, the first time in 2024-25 he's found the scoresheet in back-to-back games. The 35-year-old defenseman is up to four assists through 11 outings this season. He's also recorded 25 blocked shots, nine shots on net and a plus-9 rating as a shutdown blueliner on the second pairing.
Hagel notched a power-play assist, four shots on goal and a minus-3 rating in Friday's 5-3 loss to the Wild.
Hagel has gone without a goal in four straight games, but he has four assists in that span. His helper Friday was his first power-play point of the year -- he should get more looks there now that he's on the first unit again after spending time on the second unit last week. The winger is up to six goals, seven assists, 27 shots on net and a plus-5 rating through 11 contests, offering strong production in fantasy formats that focus on scoring.
Kucherov notched a power-play assist, eight shots on goal and a minus-3 rating in Friday's 5-3 loss to the Wild.
Kucherov has earned four points over his last two contests after being held off the scoresheet Monday against Nashville. The 31-year-old winger's eight shots were a season high, though he's had four or more shots in six of 11 games. He's up to nine goals, nine assists, 43 shots, a plus-6 rating, six hits and seven blocked shots while seeing reliable time on the first line and top power-play unit.
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Lightning's Victor Hedman: Produces two power-play assists
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Hedman logged two power-play assists, three shots on goal, two blocked shots and a minus-2 rating in Friday's 5-3 loss to the Wild.
Hedman helped out on tallies by Brayden Point and Jake Guentzel. After going without a point during the Lightning's most recent homestand, Hedman has found his offense on the road with three assists over the last two games. All but one of his 11 points this season have come away from Amalie Arena, though that should eventually even out. The 33-year-old defenseman has added 33 shots on net, 23 blocked shots, six PIM and a plus-4 rating through 11 contests overall.
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Lightning's Nick Paul: Scores late in loss
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Paul scored a goal and went minus-2 in Friday's 5-3 loss to the Lightning.
Paul's six-game point streak ended Wednesday in Colorado, but he's still been a pleasant surprise in a middle-six role this season. The 29-year-old's goal Friday cut the Wild's lead to 4-3 late in the third period, but the Lightning were unable to tie the game. He has produced four goals, six assists, 17 shots on net, 11 hits and a plus-3 rating through 11 appearances this year. Paul is an effective secondary scorer who can chip in shots and hits, but he's unlikely to be consistent on offense throughout the full campaign.
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Lightning's Jake Guentzel: Tallies with man advantage
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Guentzel scored a power-play goal on two shots and went minus-2 in Friday's 5-3 loss to the Wild.
Guentzel has three goals and five points over his last three contests. His tally Friday was just his second power-play point, both of which are goals, this season. He's up to five tallies, seven helpers, 34 shots on net, 14 blocked shots and a plus-6 rating through 11 games. Guentzel is locked in on the top line and should continue to hover around a point-per-game pace.
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Lightning's Brayden Point: Strikes on power play
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Point scored a power-play goal on three shots in Friday's 5-3 loss to the Wild.
Point has found the scoresheet in four straight games, earning three goals and three assists in that span. The center continues to be consistent in a top-line role for the Lightning this season, offering a finishing touch and playmaking in nearly equal measure. He has seven goals, five assists, 19 shots on net and a plus-9 rating through 11 appearances. Point has exceeded 40 goals and 40 assists on three occasions each over his first eight seasons, and he's well on his way to those marks again in 2024-25.
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Lightning's Andrei Vasilevskiy: Lets in three goals in loss
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Vasilevskiy allowed three goals on 20 shots in Friday's 5-3 loss to the Wild. The last two goals were empty-netters.
Vasilevskiy kept the game close, but the Wild scored three times over the final six minutes, twice when he had left the crease for an extra attacker. This snapped his three-game winning streak, and fantasy managers will have to hope he doesn't go on a skid like he did after his opening winning streak was snapped. The 30-year-old is 6-4-0 with a 2.54 GAA and a .906 save percentage over 10 starts. The Lightning continue their road trip with a massive challenge Sunday in Winnipeg.
Cernak (upper body) will be in the lineup versus Minnesota on Friday, Jessi Pierce of NHL.com reports.
Cernak was hurt in the second period against Colorado on Wednesday but appears to be no worse for the wear. Through 10 games this season, the 27-year-old blueliner has notched three assists, 16 hits and 15 blocks while averaging 19:17 of ice time. Cernak is unlikely to offer much in the way of offensive upside but could still offer decent mid-range fantasy value in banger leagues.
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Lightning's Andrei Vasilevskiy: First goalie off Friday
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Vassilevskiy was the first goalie to leave the ice Friday, Gabby Shirley of FanDuel Sports Network Florida reports, indicating he'll patrol the crease on the road versus the Wild.
Vasilevskiy has played in all but one of the Lightning's first 10 contests, posting a 6-3-0 record to go with a 2.47 GAA and .911 save percentage. Without any back-to-backs in the short term, the 29-year-old backstop should continue to see the bulk of the workload moving forward but eventually might get a night off.
Girgensons has no points through his first 10 appearances this season.
Girgensons has played in all of the Lightning's games, but he has little to show for it. He's picked up 12 shots on net, 11 hits, two blocked shots and five PIM. The 30-year-old forward hasn't even reached the 20-point mark since his 30-point 2014-15 campaign, so even with a steady spot in the lineup, he's not an option for most fantasy managers. He had a career-low 14 points in just 63 outings in 2023-24.
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Lightning's Ryan McDonagh: Pockets assist
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McDonagh notched an assist, two blocked shots and a plus-2 rating in Wednesday's 5-2 win over the Avalanche.
McDonagh snapped a five-game point drought with the secondary helper on the first of Jake Guentzel's two goals in the game. As usual, McDonagh is filling a shutdown role on the second pairing. He has three helpers, nine shots on net, a plus-10 rating and 24 blocked shots through 10 outings this season. He can help fantasy managers in formats that prioritize defense, but he's a fringe option in most other leagues.
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Lightning's Brandon Hagel: Two helpers in Wednesday's win
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Hagel logged two assists and three shots on goal in Wednesday's 5-2 win over the Avalanche.
Hagel helped out on goals by linemates Anthony Cirelli and Conor Geekie. The 26-year-old Hagel is as steady as ever, picking up eight points over his last five games. For the season, the winger has six goals, six assists, 23 shots on net and a plus-8 rating while seeing time on the second line and first power-play unit. He's shooting 26.1 percent, so he's likely to regress in goals, but he's a strong enough scorer to have an impact in fantasy throughout the campaign.
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Lightning's Conor Geekie: Tallies game-winner
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Geekie scored a goal on two shots in Wednesday's 5-2 win over the Avalanche.
Just two games after his first NHL goal, Geekie deposited the first game-winner of his career. The 20-year-old has gotten off to a modest start with three points, 10 shots on net, 11 hits, six blocked shouts, four PIM and a plus-1 rating over his first 10 NHL contests. The Lightning's forward depth has been lackluster, so Geekie should continue to feature in a middle-six role at even strength while also being a factor on the second power-play unit, though he could grow into a larger role as the season progresses.
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Lightning's Anthony Cirelli: Scores, assists in win Wednesday
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Cirelli recorded a goal and an assist in Wednesday's 5-2 win over the Avalanche.
Cirelli notched just his second goal of the season, but the center has been one of the team's best playmaking threats. Through 10 games, the 27-year-old has two goals and 10 helpers.
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Lightning's Brayden Point: Delivers two assists
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Point notched two assists and a plus-3 rating in Wednesday's 5-2 win over the Avalanche.
Point has recorded back-to-back multi-point efforts for the first time this season, and he remains productive as a top-unit forward in one of the most star-studded attacks in the league. Point has cracked the scoresheet in all but one of his last seven appearances, tallying four goals and four assists in that span.
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Lightning's Nikita Kucherov: Records three points Wednesday
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Kucherov scored a goal and delivered two assists in Wednesday's 5-2 win over the Avalanche.
Kucherov saw his eight-game point streak snapped in the 3-2 win over Nashville on Monday, but the star winger bounced back admirably and notched his fifth multi-point effort of the campaign Wednesday. Reliable both as a scorer and playmaker, the 31-year-old star forward is amid an outstanding start to the campaign with nine goals and eight assists across 10 contests. He's tied for second in goals and tied for fifth in points league-wide.
