Tampa Bay Lightning star goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy did not practice today, according to the Tampa Bay Times’ Eduardo A. Encina , an absence that marks a third consecutive day of practice missed. Head coach Jon Cooper told the media Saturday that Vasilevskiy’s absence was related to “player management,” adding that the Lightning will look to “manage” Vasilevskiy this season to keep him in the best possible shape. While there is no firm indication that Vasilevskiy is dealing with any injury, with each passing day Vasilevskiy misses his status becomes more of a storyline to watch in the NHL.

Encina specifically noted that this current absence “seems too much like” Vasilevskiy’s training camp absence two years ago, one that led to him missing two months due to lower back surgery. Alth

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