Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Erik Cernak (undisclosed) has been ruled out for Tuesday's game against Edmonton. The big blue-liner suffered an unspecified injury in Sunday's matchup against Vancouver, taking only one shift in the third period. Cernak will miss his first game of the season. The 27-year-old has upped his scoring rate a bit in 2024-25 and boasts seven assists through 25 outings, but Cernak's main value comes out in the defensive zone. He leads Tampa Bay with 48 hits and has amassed 33 blocks. With Cernak out for Tuesday's game, Nick Perbix gets a chance to rejoin the action. Meanwhile, Darren Raddysh and Janis Moser will pick up additional work in the Lightning defense.
Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Erik Cernak appeared to have suffered an arm injury in Thursday's 2-1 shootout loss to Philadelphia. He left the game after blocking a shot with his right arm. Cernak saw 9:02 of action in the contest, registering one block and two hits. The Slovakian blue-liner has totaled four assists, 10 shots, 19 blocks, and 21 hits in 14 appearances this season. Nick Perbix will be set for a larger role in the Lightning defense if Cernak is forced to miss any games. He will get some extra time off to recover, as Tampa Bay's next game won't come until Thursday when the dominant Winnipeg Jets visit the Amalie Arena.
Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Erik Cernak (upper body) will play in Friday's contest against Minnesota. Cernak was forced to make an early exit due to an upper-body injury against Colorado on Wednesday, but he won't miss any additional time. The 27-year-old skates on the second defensive pairing and mostly does the dirty work. Cernak has recorded 15 blocks and 16 hits in 10 outings this season. Offensively, he has contributed three assists. Tampa's defense faces a major test on Friday against an in-form team that averages close to four goals per game (3.78), spearheaded by the red-hot Kirill Kaprizov.
Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Erik Cernak suffered an upper-body injury in Wednesday's contest against Colorado. He was forced to exit the game after taking a high hit by Avalanche forward Matt Stienburg. Lightning head coach Jon Cooper did not have an update on Cernak after the game. Cernak is a physical force at the back for Tampa Bay, who also occasionally provides offense. He has recorded three assists in 10 games this season while blocking 15 shots and delivering 16 hits. Nick Perbix will likely rejoin the lineup if Cernak can't play on Friday versus Minnesota. He's also sitting on three assists through seven appearances.
Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Erik Cernak suffered a lower-body injury in Saturday's meeting with Philadelphia. He had a busy day at the office with three blocks and two hits in 12:31 of ice time before exiting. The 26-year-old could now face another absence after already missing 12 contests in 2023-24. Cernak has totaled only nine points (one goal, eight assists) but is third on the team with 83 blocks and second with 141 hits. Newly-acquired Matt Dumba should move up in the lineup without Cernak, with Calvin de Haan slotting back into the lineup.
Mikhail Sergachev, Erik Cernak To Return For Lightning Wednesday
Tampa Bay Lightning defensemen Mikhail Sergachev (lower body) and Erik Cernak (upper body) are both expected to be back in the lineup when the club visits the New York Rangers on Wednesday night. Sergachev has missed the past 17 games after suffering a lower-body injury in a 6-1 win over the St. Louis Blues on Dec. 19. The 25-year-old has taken a step back offensively this season with two goals and 19 points across 33 games after posting a career-high 64 points across 79 contests last season. He also sports a minus-15 rating on the season. Cernak, 26, has missed the past seven games due to an upper-body injury. The defensive-minded rearguard is without a goal while adding five assists across 39 games this season with 90 hits, 63 blocks, and 23 penalty minutes on his ledger. The Lightning currently sit third in the Atlantic Division coming out of the All-Star break.
Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Erik Cernak (upper body) isn't ready to return to the lineup for Thursday's clash with the Coyotes. He was on the ice Thursday morning but will sit out a sixth straight game. Cernak isn't expected to return on Saturday versus New Jersey, either. However, these should be the final two games Cernak misses, as the Lightning head to the All-Star break after Saturday and won't play again until Feb. 7. Maxwell Crozier has entered the lineup as Cernak's replacement, but he doesn't have any fantasy value as a bottom-pairing piece on the blue line.
Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Erik Cernak (upper body) won't be available for Saturday's clash with the Ducks. Playing in only his second game since returning to the lineup, Cernak suffered a fresh injury blow on Thursday against New Jersey. The 26-year-old has yet to score in 39 outings this season and boasts only five assists, but Cernak is second on the team with 90 hits and has produced the third-most block on the roster, throwing himself in front of 63 shots. Philippe Myers will come into the lineup as Cernak's replacement on Saturday.
Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Erik Cernak left Thursday's encounter with the Devils with an upper-body injury. He was limited to 7:58 of ice time in the contest. Cernak has only just returned from an upper-body injury, but it's unclear if the two issues are related. The 26-year-old played in only his second game since his most recent injury absence. He has made 39 appearances in 2023-24, registering five assists, 31 shots on goal, 90 hits, and 63 blocks. Nick Perbix should get a larger role on the blue line if Cernak can't play on Saturday versus Anaheim.
Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Erik Cernak (upper body) won't play Tuesday versus Winnipeg and is considered day-to-day. Cernak suffered an upper-body injury in Sunday's matchup against Montreal, exiting the game after logging less than seven minutes on the ice. The Lightning also lost Haydn Fleury (hand) at the weekend and will remain without Mikhail Sergachev (lower body) on Tuesday, meaning the blue line will be very thin. Nick Perbix looks set to replace Cernak as Victor Hedman's partner on the first defensive pairing, and he could also get some power-play time behind Hedman and Darren Raddysh.
Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Erik Cernak left Sunday's matchup against Montreal with an undisclosed injury. He couldn't carry on after taking a hit from Montreal forward Josh Anderson in the second period. The Lightning blue line also lost Haydn Fleury (undisclosed) in the contest. With Mikhail Sergachev (lower body) already on the shelf, the Tampa defense is down to its bare bones. Darren Raddysh has been benefiting from Sergachev's absence and should get a further boost if the injuries don't clear up in time for Tuesday's encounter with the Jets.
Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Erik Cernak suffered an undisclosed injury in Saturday's matchup against Carolina. He left the contest in the second period after having logged 9:57 of ice time. Cernak is now in danger of missing his first game of the season when Tampa Bay returns to action Tuesday versus St. Louis. The Slovakian blue-liner has contributed only three assists in 15 appearances this season, but he's among the team leaders with 33 hits and has also tallied 18 blocks as Victor Hedman's companion on the first defensive pairing.
Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Erik Cernak (upper body) will miss Thursday's Game 2 against the Maple Leafs. He was injured in Tuesday's series opener when Toronto forward Michael Bunting caught him with a high hit. Cernak has mostly seen third-pairing minutes this season and has done very little offensively, but his defensive presence will definitely be missed Thursday. The 25-year-old led the Lightning with 209 hits during the regular season and also posted 100 blocks in 70 games. Zach Bogosian and Haydn Fleury are the options to replace Cernak in the lineup Thursday.
Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Erik Cernak has been suspended two games for elbowing Sabres forward Kyle Okposo in Thursday's contest. The 25-year-old made contact with Okposo's head with under two minutes remaining in the third period as the game was tied at five. Cernak will miss the back-to-back set this weekend with matchups against the Red Wings on Saturday and Penguins on Sunday, and he will be eligible to return for Tuesday's game against the Panthers. Cernak has limited offensive upside with one goal and 11 points on the season, but he brings value in deeper fantasy formats with categories such as hits and blocks.
Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Erik Cernak (undisclosed) won't be available for a third consecutive game Thursday versus Calgary. The 25-year-old has been dealing with an undisclosed issue since the start of the week and it's currently unclear when Cernak will be able to play again. Tampa's blue line is also without Cal Foote (upper body), who will be missing a third straight game as well. The injured have allowed Haydn Fleury and Philippe Myers to enter the lineup, while Ian Cole has replaced Cernak as Victor Hedman's partner on the first defensive pairing. The veteran has been playing a solid defensive game, and he's even helped out at the offensive end, notching three points in the past three games.
Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Erik Cernak (undisclosed) won't be in the lineup Sunday versus Washington. He was hurt while blocking a shot Friday night when these teams also faced each other. In Cernak, Tampa loses a player that has registered a team-high 40 hits this season. Cernak has also tallied 33 blocks in 2022-23, which is second to only Mikhail Sergachev on the team. Offensively, the 25-year-old has contributed with only one assist. The numbers show that Cernak is going to be a big miss on the defensive side of the game. With Cal Foote (upper body) also set to sit out Sunday, head coach Jon Cooper is forced to draft in two new defensemen. Haydn Fleury and Philippe Myers will join the action.
Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Erik Cernak (upper body) was unable to play Saturday against the Islanders, but head coach Jon Cooper expects him to be available for the next game. Tampa starts next week's schedule against the Kings on Tuesday. Cernak has yet to contribute anything on the offensive front this season, but he's kept himself busy in other areas and shares the team lead in hits with Ross Colton. He's added seven blocks to 14 hits in five games.
Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Erik Cernak (lower body) looks ready to play in Friday's Game 5 against the Avalanche despite exiting Wednesday's loss with an apparent leg injury. He was forced to limp off the ice after blocking a shot in the second period and ended up logging only 7:37 in the game. Cernak is a shutdown defenseman who has tallied 45 blocks and 75 hits during the team's postseason run this year. The Lightning gave up 11 goals in two games in Denver at the start of the series, so having Cernak available should be a nice little boost for the team on Friday.
Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Erik Cernak was hurt in Wednesday's Game 4 against Colorado, suffering a lower-body injury whilst blocking a shot in the second period. The 25-year-old tallied an assist when Anthony Cirelli opened the scoring 36 seconds into the game, and it was a busy night all around for Cernak before he was injured as he added three shots, two blocks and two hits to his line in 7:37 of ice time. Mikhail Sergachev picked up most of the slack and ended up leading all Tampa players in ice time with 32:50. The severity of Cernak's injury is unclear at present, but it looks like he will be doubtful for Friday's Game 5.
Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Erik Cernak played only 10:25 in Tuesday's Game 1 against Florida and wasn't able to complete the contest after getting hurt whilst blocking a shot in the second period. He had a pretty uneventful outing, recording one shot with one block and one hit. Cernak's stats rarely stand out, but he is a very valuable piece of Tampa Bay's defense and eats up a lot of minutes on the first pairing with Victor Hedman. Head coach Jon Cooper didn't have an update on Cernak after the game. Game 2 in the series is scheduled for Thursday.
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