In light of the recent injuries to both Ryan Callahan and Dan Girardi, the Tampa Bay Lightning has made the call for a little backup from the Syracuse Crunch.
The Tampa Bay Lightning has been firing on all cylinders through the first two games of the 2018 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Despite having their fair share of trouble with the New Jersey Devils during the regular season, the Lightning delivered a 5-2 victory in Game One and a 5-3 victory in Game Two, both at the Amalie Arena.
Now, the Lightning is preparing to take their show on the road. The Bolts have made their way to the Prudential Center in Newark where they will battle the New Jersey Devils in Game Three on Monday. Unfortunately, there is a possibility the Lightning may have to embark on this journey with a couple of pieces missing.
Both Ryan Callahan and Dan Girardi left Saturday afternoon’s game against the Devils with injuries. In light of this, and the duo’s status for Monday night’s game in question, the Bolts had to enlist a little backup from their neighbors to the North.
Tampa Bay Lightning
The Lightning announced earlier this afternoon they have officially recalled forward Matthew Peca from the Lightning’s American Hockey League affiliate, the Syracuse Crunch. Should Peca get the call to take the ice with his teammates tomorrow night, it will be his first-ever Stanley Cup Playoffs appearance.
Peca has been lighting the ice on fire this season for the Crunch. In the 63 games he’s suited up for this season, Peca has brought home 13 goals and 33 assists for a grand total of 46 points. These numbers were good enough for him to land the third place position on the team in overall points.
The 24-year-old center has also played a total of 10 games with the Tampa Bay Lightning in the 2017-18 season. In this time, he brought home two goals and three assists for a total of five points. These numbers accompanied his plus-6 rating.
It is uncertain at this moment whether or not Peca will get any sort of playing time over the course of the road trip. The Lightning organization has not offered up any sort of official update on the status of Ryan Callahan or Dan Girardi just yet. While there is a strong chance Cally could play, as he did make the trip with the team, it is always good to know there is someone waiting in the wings just in case.
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The Lightning has a tough challenge in front of them. It is one thing to win the first two games in front of their hometown crowd. It is a complete other to take your game on the road and face a desperate team who now has home-field advantage. It will certainly be exciting to see how the Lightning responds to the challenge.