NEW YORK — Just four days earlier, Lightning C Vladislav Namestnikov had to be helped off the ice at Amalie Arena with what looked like a serious left leg injury.
But here was Namestnikov on Monday, back in the lineup in a victory over the Rangers after missing just one game with a lower-body injury. He feared the worst when he got tangled up with the Wild's Zach Parise on Thursday.
"I got lucky," Namestnikov said. "It could have been more serious."
Namestnikov didn't play in the third period Monday; coach Jon Cooper said he re-aggravated the injury.
Tyler Johnson and Cedric Paquette did not play Monday. Both also suffered lower body injuries Thursday.
New guy
It's been a whirlwind few weeks for C Byron Froese, who was acquired from the Maple Leafs in the Brian Boyle trade Feb. 29. Froese was recalled Monday, making his Tampa Bay debut against the Rangers.
Froese, a 6-foot right shot, was the AHL Toronto Marlies' leading scorer (24 goals, 15 assists) when he got dealt.
"I was shocked," Froese said. "Definitely excited for a fresh opportunity."
Froese centered the third line, along with Namestnikov and Adam Erne; he was also on the second power play unit during the skate.
Cooper said he has liked Froese since watching him with the Leafs in 2015-16, when he played 56 games.
"He's got a lot of NHL attributes, especially his shot," Cooper said. "Watching him shoot the puck, that was really encouraging. He's definitely somebody that now we really need."
Why Budaj?
While Andrei Vasilevskiy has been on a roll lately, veteran backup Peter Budaj got the start Monday.
Cooper wanted to make sure Vasilevskiy kept his groove, 5-0-1 since the Ben Bishop trade. And with a back-to-back situation, four games in six nights, Cooper didn't want to overwork Vasilevskiy, admitting the team might have during a nine-game stretch in December/January when Bishop got hurt.
"We've had a lot of success with Vasy," Cooper said. "And playing him every third day, he's played really well. When he went through this stretch of playing back-to-backs in December, I just don't know if it was too much, too soon, either we weren't good in front of him or he wasn't at the top of his game.
"Our No. 1 goal is to make the playoffs, but still our goaltender is young and developing. We've got him in a really good groove here, there's no sense in breaking that groove. There's a lot of games he still has to play."
Quote of the day
"He's definitely our Hart Trophy (MVP) candidate. We've jumped on his back."
Coach Jon Cooper on RW Nikita Kucherov.
Slap shots
• Injured captain Steven Stamkos is on the road trip and was a limited participant in the team's morning skate. RW Ryan Callahan (hip surgery) is also traveling with the team.
• Rookie Brayden Point turned 21 Monday and scored twice in the win. Who would have thought in October he'd be the No. 1 center in March?
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Explore all your optionsJoe Smith can be reached at joesmith@tampabay.com. Follow @TBTimes_JSmith.