The Lightning and Mammoth have their projected lineups in place for October 24, and the biggest question hovering over the game is whether Hedman will be ready after leaving Friday's contest with an undisclosed injury. The lineup sheet puts the two teams on collision course with several familiar names in the same spots they occupied in the buildup to the matchup.
For readers searching Lightning vs Mammoth, the immediate draw is the state of the rosters. The Lightning are projected to open with Brandon Hagel, Anthony Cirelli and Nikita Kucherov on the first line, followed by Gage Goncalves, Brayden Point and Jake Guentzel on the second. Ilya Mikheyev, Zemgus Girgensons and Pontus Holmberg are listed on the third line, while Scott Sabourin, Emil Lilleberg and Jeffrey Viel are scratched. On the Mammoth side, Clayton Keller, Vincent Trocheck and Dylan Guenther are listed on the first line, with Logan Cooley, Nick Schmaltz and Lawson Crouse on the second, and Anders Lee, Barrett Hayton and Kailer Yamamoto on the third. Jack McBain, Kevin Stenlund and Daniil But are projected on the fourth line.
The update matters because it comes after the Lightning's 6-3 loss at the Colorado Avalanche on Friday, a game that ended with Hedman departing at 5:56 of the second period and not returning. The Lightning did not hold a morning skate after that loss, which leaves the defensive picture less settled than the forward lines. That uncertainty is part of why the projected card is being watched so closely today rather than treated as a routine pregame note.
The Mammoth have their own injury list to manage. Maveric Lamoureux is sidelined with a shoulder injury, while John Marino is out with an upper-body injury and Andre Tourigny said he is week to week. Michael Carcone, also listed with an upper-body injury, skated in a non-contact jersey on Saturday but is not expected to play. That creates a clear split between the skaters penciled in and the players whose status is still shaping the edge of the matchup.
What remains unresolved is the one absence that could change the Lightning's entire look: Hedman's availability. If he cannot go, the projected lines may hold, but the balance of the game shifts with it.
