NHL Injury Update: Tampa Bay Lightning to play without forwards Dominic James and Gage Goncalves for the next two games

The Tampa Bay Lightning will play at least the next two games without forwards Dominic James and Gage Goncalves, who suffered injuries in Saturday's loss to the Buffalo Sabres, further depleting a lineup already battling through a lot of injuries this season.

Head coach Jon Cooper confirmed on Monday that both players will be sidelined for Tampa Bay’s four-game road trip, ruling them out for upcoming clashes against the Minnesota Wild and Winnipeg Jets.As per reports, Dominic James suffered a leg injury when cross-checked into the boards by Sabres defenseman Michael Kesselring. Along with him, Goncalves suffered a lower-body injury during a match against the Buffalo Sabres.

Both of them are expected to miss the next couple of games while the Lightning evaluates their condition currently.

Tampa Bay Lightning to play without forwards Dominic James and Gage Goncalves after sustaining injuries

The Tampa Bay Lightning forwards Dominic James and Gage Goncalves will be out for at least their next two games after they both suffered injuries in Saturday’s 6-2 loss to the Buffalo Sabres. As per Yahoo Sports, rookie forward Dominic James left Saturday’s game against the Buffalo Sabres after suffering an apparent right-leg injury late in the third period.

According to reports, Dominic James left the game after an apparent leg injury when he was cross-checked into the boards by Sabres defenseman Michael Kesselring. Following the incident, head coach Jon Cooper did not have an update on James’ status after the game.

While Goncalves appeared to suffer his own lower-body injury after Sabres defenseman Rasmus Dahlin knocked him down with a cross-check, causing him to slide feet-first into the boards.

Owing to this situation, both players will remain out from Tampa Bay’s upcoming road games, including Tuesday’s matchup against the Minnesota Wild.This season, Gage has seven goals and 13 assists for 20 points. Last season, he had eight goals and 12 assists for 20 points in 60 games played with the Tampa Bay Lightning, and James has seven goals and eight assists for 15 points in 43 games played so far. As reported by Daily Faceoff, if James and Goncalves miss only the Lightning’s next two games, the two players could be seen on Saturday, March 7th’s matchup against the Toronto Maple Leafs. Meanwhile, the Lightning are sitting atop the Atlantic Division with 80 points in 58 games.Tampa Bay will monitor both James and Goncalves’ health status closely as they recover, missing these two important matches on Tampa Bay’s four-game road trip.