Bad news for other teams in the Atlantic Section of the National Hockey League (NHL): Tampa Bay Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy could soon be back in action.
On Monday, head coach Jon Cooper said he expects the 29-year-old masked man to be back after Thanksgiving (Nov. 23).
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“It would be disappointing if [son retour] is the beginning of December,” said the pilot, whose comments were reported by The Athletic website.
Vasilevskiy underwent surgery for a herniated disc at the end of September. At that time, the Bolts announced that the Russian would be sidelined for around two months.
On October 29, Vasilevskiy returned to the ice with light exercises near the end of his team’s practice.
Considered by many to be the NHL’s best goaltender, Vasilevskiy posted a .919 save percentage, 2.52 goals-against average and a 263-123-28 record in 425 games on the Bettman circuit.
The Lightning have maintained a record of 5-3-3 so far in the 2023-24 season. It was Jonas Johansson who got the most starts at the net, maintaining a .916 efficiency percentage and a 2.87 goals-against average.
The Florida club will be in Toronto this Monday for a clash against the Maple Leafs. The next day, Cooper’s men met the Canadian in Montreal.