The Tampa Bay Lightning take on the Anaheim Ducks at the Honda Center tonight. Here are the projected/expected lineups sourced from NHL.com staff writers, independent correspondents, and others.
LIGHTNING (22-13-3) at DUCKS (21-16-2)
4 p.m. ET; The Spot, Victory+, KCOP-13
Lightning projected lineup
Gage Goncalves — Brayden Point — Nikita Kucherov
Jake Guentzel — Anthony Cirelli — Oliver Bjorkstrand
Pontus Holmberg — Yanni Gourde — Zemgus Girgensons
Curtis Douglas — Nick Paul — Jack Finley
J.J. Moser — Darren Raddysh
Charle-Edouard D’Astous — Erik Cernak
Declan Carlile — Max Crozier
Andrei Vasilevskiy
Jonas Johansson
Scratched: Dominic James, Steven Santini
Injured: Ryan McDonagh (lower body), Victor Hedman (elbow), Emil Lilleberg (undisclosed), Brandon Hagel (upper body), Scott Sabourin (undisclosed)
Status report
Cernak is expected to return to the lineup after missing 17 games with a hand injury. Cernak was injured when he blocked the last shot of the game in a 5-3 win at the Washington Capitals on Nov. 22. … The Lightning made room on their roster by placing Sabourin, a forward, on injured reserve with an undisclosed injury. Sabourin did not return to a 5-4 win against the visiting Montreal Canadiens on Sunday after fighting Arber Xhekaj late in the first period.
Latest for THW:
- Lightning Week Ahead: Schedule & Storylines – Injuries, Road Trip and More
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Ducks projected lineup
Cutter Gauthier — Leo Carlsson — Mikael Granlund
Chris Kreider — Mason McTavish — Beckett Sennecke
Nikita Nesterenko — Ryan Poehling — Troy Terry
Ross Johnston — Jansen Harkins — Alex Killorn
Jackson LaCombe — Drew Helleson
Olen Zellweger — Jacob Trouba
Pavel Mintyukov — Ian Moore
Lukas Dostal
Petr Mrazek
Scratched: Ryan Strome
Injured: Frank Vatrano (upper body), Radko Gudas (illness)
Status report
Vatrano, a forward, and Gudas, a defenseman, did not attend practice on Tuesday and are expected to miss their second straight games. … Johnston returned to practice after missing the 5-4 loss to the visiting San Jose Sharks on Monday with an illness. … Gauthier and Kreider switched lines during practice.
Latest for THW:
- NHL Morning Recap – December 30, 2025
- Projected Lineups for Sharks vs Ducks – 12/29/25
- Ducks Week Ahead: Schedule & Storylines – Holiday Slump, World Juniors and More
