Both the Montreal Canadiens and Tampa Bay Lightning started this first-round matchup without their star defencemen. There have yet to be any updates on the health of Canadiens defenceman Noah Dobson, who is sidelined with a fractured thumb. Dobson was seen travelling with the team, prompting speculation about his availability for the rest of the series. However, for the Tampa Bay side, news went from bad to worse.
The Lightning were already out Victor Hedman to start the series, with analysts suggesting he could be back in the lineup as soon as game three, but Tampa Bay coach Jon Cooper shut down those rumours at practice this morning. When asked about Hedman’s return, Cooper responded with “the doubtful side for this series.” Tampa Bay losing its captain for the entire series is a massive blow, but the bad news does not end there, as the Lightning will be out another defenceman when the puck drops in game two.
Tampa Bay will also be out defenceman Charle-Edouard D'Astous, who left game one after a devastating collision when he got sandwiched between Josh Anderson and Jake Evans. While there has been no update on the type of injury he suffered, he clearly looked shaken up following the hit. Cooper confirmed that Declan Carlile will be taking D'Astous’ spot in the lineup.
Carlile split the year between the Lightning and their AHL affiliate, the Syracuse Crunch. In 42 games with the Lightning this season, Carlile recorded one goal and three points while playing just under 15 minutes a night.
For the Canadiens, the injury updates should shift the tides a little. Montreal entered the series as the underdogs, in large part due to the uncertainty of Dobson’s participation in the series. With Hedman unlikely to return this series and D’Astous already ruled out for Game 2, Tampa Bay could be without two regular defencemen moving forward. With the Canadiens winning game one, if they can take advantage of the Lightning’s weakened defence, Montreal could be heading to the Bell Centre with a decisive 2-0 series lead.
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