The Tampa Bay Lightning won the first game of their series with the Toronto Maple Leafs, 7-3. However, it was not all smooth sailing for the Bolts. They had a number of injuries to deal with following the opening game of what they hope is their fourth consecutive trip to the Stanley Cup Final. Some lineup shuffling is expected before the two teams meet again for Game 2 on Thursday.
Kristen Shilton of ESPN reports that Erik Cernak will be out of the lineup on Thursday night. The big Lightning defenseman did not return after he took a nasty hit from Michael Bunting and left Game 1. Bunting was sentenced with a match penalty and will be suspended for the next three games of the series for the headshot that knocked Cernak out of the lineup.
The 25-year-old defenseman plays a top-four role with the Lightning, averaging 19:14 per game in the regular season while leading the team in average ice time per game while short-handed.
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