The Tampa Bay Lightning have brought forward Dominic James back up after a brief stop in Syracuse, giving themselves a little more breathing room at forward heading into Thursday’s game against the Seattle Kraken.
James was sent to the Syracuse Crunch five days ago after recovering from a hand injury suffered in the preseason. He’s already logged two games with Syracuse, finishing those appearances without a point and with two penalty minutes.
Now he’s back with the Lightning after getting some game reps under his belt. That fits with how Tampa Bay used him for much of his first professional season last year, when the rookie spent most of his time in the NHL lineup. In 43 games with the Lightning, James posted 15 points, and he added five points in four AHL games.
What made him useful wasn’t just the scoring. James found a way to stick in a crowded bottom six because of his pace and edge. He finished with 58 hits and won 50.4 percent of his 276 faceoffs, giving Tampa Bay a dependable, energetic option in the mix for ice time.
The Lightning appear ready to work him back into that role. He projects to line up with Conor Geekie and Jeffrey Viel on the fourth line, with Geekie taking some of the faceoffs. That spot was open in Tampa Bay’s last game against the New York Rangers, when the club dressed seven defensemen instead of an extra forward.
With a two-game homestand ahead, the Lightning have chosen to add some depth up front. James will now join Scott Sabourin as Tampa Bay’s extra forward, both of them in the mix for a lineup spot on Thursday.
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Lightnings Rangers Problem Showed Up Again In Another Frustrating Loss
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Lightning Got Handled By A Rangers Team They Should've Tested More
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The Rangers still had to navigate a significant wrinkle after Igor Shesterkin went down, and the job in relief fell to Dylan Garand, who stopped 25 shots to keep Tampa Bay from finding a way back in. Mika Zibanejad tacked on the empty-netter to finish off a 4-1 result, leaving the Lightning with another reminder that even against a compromised opponent, theres no shortcut when the other team is playing with confidence and structure. [Read more 🡒]