BRANDON, Fla. — The Lightning expect defenseman Erik Cernak to be back in the lineup for Tuesday night’s game against the Devils in New Jersey.
The team’s top right-shot defenseman missed the past nine games with a lower-body injury suffered in a win over Vancouver on Jan. 13.
Cernak return will give the Lightning a boost, as he averages nearly 20 minutes per game and serves a valuable role on the top penalty-killing unit. He has missed 27 of the Lightning’s 48 games this season, sidelined with hand and foot injuries from blocking shots.