The Tampa Bay Lightning are turning to a bigger body in goal for their first recall of the season.
Instead of Dominic James, who is expected to be officially recalled soon but will not be in the lineup Tuesday against the New York Rangers, the Lightning brought up 6’7″ Mads Sogaard from the Syracuse Crunch.
Sogaard, 25, has played in three games this season and started two, putting together a 1-1-0 record with a .937 save percentage and a 1.73 goals-against average. Tampa Bay signed the native of Aalborg, Denmark as a free agent this summer, and he already has NHL experience from his time with the Ottawa Senators. In 31 NHL games, all with Ottawa, he has a 12-11-3 record, a 3.60 GAA, and an .877 save percentage.
His heaviest workload came in 2022-23, when he went 8-6-3 in 19 games with a 3.32 GAA and an .889 save percentage.
The Lightning revamped their Syracuse crease this offseason after Brandon Halverson and Ryan Fanti moved on to new organizations, bringing in Sogaard and Olivier Rodrique to handle the workload. Through the first two weekends, the two have split starts. Prospect Harrison Meneghin was recalled from Orlando to the Crunch on Monday and could get into a game if Sogaard remains in Tampa for any stretch of time.
There has been no word yet on whether Andrei Vasilevskiy or Dennis Hildeby are dealing with an injury or illness. Eduardo Encina of the Tampa Bay Times believes Vasilevskiy will still start tonight.
In Other News...
Lightnings Rangers Problem Showed Up Again In Another Frustrating Loss
The Lightning ran into the same New York trouble again, leaving Madison Square Garden with a 4-1 loss that felt familiar in all the wrong ways. Tampa Bay never found much traction against the Rangers, who got a pair of goals from Alexis Lafreniere and enough work in net from Dylan Garand to keep the game under control from start to finish.
Zemgus Girgensons provided Tampa Bays only goal, while Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped 19 shots in the defeat. For a team that wanted a cleaner response in a matchup that has often been annoying, the result was another reminder that the Rangers continue to be a problem the Lightning have not solved. [Read more 🡒]
Lightning Got Handled By A Rangers Team They Should've Tested More
Tampa Bay walked into a game against a Rangers team that had already lost its No. 1 goalie and still never really made the kind of sustained push youd expect from a contender. New York stayed organized defensively from start to finish, and Alexis Lafreniere set the tone with a pair of goals, including his sixth of the season, as the Lightning spent much of the night chasing rather than dictating.
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 🡒]
Lightning Forward Battle Just Got More Crowded Again
The Lightnings forward picture tightened again with Dominic James back in the fold after a short stop in Syracuse. James, who spent most of his rookie season in Tampa Bay and produced 15 points in 43 NHL games, had been working his way back after a hand injury, and his return adds another familiar name to a competition that has already been difficult to sort out.
Now James is back in the mix for one of the open lineup spots, where he figures to be judged alongside Conor Geekie and Jeffrey Viel as the roster picture keeps shifting. Scott Sabourin is also part of that extra-forward group, which means Tampa Bay has a crowded battle on its hands and another decision to make as it tries to settle the bottom of the lineup. [Read more 🡒]