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Penguins catch a break as Lightning announce one of their stars won't play tonight
The Penguins have caught a break, as the Lightning announced that their star goalie, Andrei Vasilevskiy, will not be playing in tonight's game.
The Pittsburgh Penguins have a window opening up tonight. The Tampa Bay Lightning announced star goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy won't be in the net for the game.
What Tampa Bay did once they found out that Andrei Vasilevskiy would be unavailable for tonight's game
With Vasilevskiy out, the Lightning had to recall Brandon Halverson from their AHL affiliate, the Syracuse Crunch.
In 13 appearances with Syracuse this season, Halverson is 9-4-0 with a .901 save percentage, 2.58 goals-against average, and two shutouts.
Why the Penguins have an advantage tonight, especially if Brandon Halverson gets the nod in goal
Halverson's NHL experience is short: one appearance with the Lightning last season, and one with the New York Rangers in 2017-18.
In those two outings, he's 0-1-0 with an .800 save percentage and a 5.11 GAA. He's a 6-foot-3 netminder who was picked 59th overall by the Rangers in 2014.
Tonight's game tilts a bit to the Penguins' favor, with them facing a less proven goalie than Vasilevskiy.
The promotion of Halverson and the absence of Vasilevskiy might affect the rhythm and the chances of scoring in what promises to be a competitive game.
This roster move underscores the need for the Lightning to have depth in goal, and the Penguins will look to take advantage as they press on with the road trip. The puck is set to be dropped in Tampa Bay tonight at 7 PM ET.
| POLL | ||
DECEMBRE 4 | 67 ANSWERS Penguins catch a break as Lightning announce one of their stars won't play tonight Who will win tonight's game? | ||
| Penguins | 59 | 88.1 % |
| Lightning | 8 | 11.9 % |
| List of polls | ||