Lightning's Zemgus Girgensons: Logs helper in return
Rotowire
Girgensons notched an assist, five shots on goal, three hits and a plus-2 rating in Thursday's 4-1 win over the Blackhawks.
Girgensons missed three games due to a lower-body injury, and he had gone five contests without a point prior to that stretch. The 32-year-old returned to center the third line, and he delivered a helper on Ilya Mikheyev's second goal of the game. Girgensons has three points, 19 shots, 34 hits, 10 blocked shots and a plus-3 rating over 12 outings this season. If he can pick up the pace on offense, he'll have modest appeal in deeper fantasy formats.
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Lightning's Zemgus Girgensons: Returns Thursday
Rotowire
Girgensons (lower body) will play Thursday against Chicago, per Benjamin Pierce of the Lightning's official site.
Girgensons missed Tampa Bay's previous three games. He has a goal and two points in 11 outings in 2026-27. Girgensons is projected to serve on the third line alongside Ilya Mikheyev and Pontus Holmberg on Thursday.
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Lightning's Zemgus Girgensons: Won't play Tuesday
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Girgensons (lower body) won't play against Detroit on Tuesday, per Lightning reporter Gabby Shirley.
Girgensons will miss his third straight game with a lower-body injury, and it's unclear if he will be ready for Thursday's matchup against Chicago. If he doesn't play against the Blackhawks, Girgensons could be available for Tampa Bay's upcoming four-game road trip, which begins against Minnesota on Saturday. He has collected one goal, two points, 14 shots on net, 31 hits and nine blocked shots in 11 appearances this season.
Girgensons (lower body) won't play against Nashville on Saturday, per Lightning reporter Gabby Shirley.
Girgensons will miss his second straight game, and it's unclear when he will be available to return to the lineup. He has earned one goal, two points, 14 shots on net, 31 hits and nine blocked shots in 11 appearances this season.
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Lightning's Zemgus Girgensons: Won't play Thursday
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Girgensons (lower body) has been ruled out for Thursday's game against the Jets, Benjamin Pierce of the Lightning's official site reports.
Girgensons sustained a lower-body injury during Saturday's game against the Mammoth, and he'll be unavailable for at least one additional matchup. Dominic James will likely enter the lineup against Winnipeg, especially since Brandon Hagel (undisclosed) is a game-time decision for Thursday.
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Lightning's Zemgus Girgensons: Hurt in Saturday's game
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Girgensons (undisclosed) didn't return to Saturday's game versus the Mammoth after getting hurt in the second period, Benjamin Pierce of the Lightning's official site reports.
As is typical with the Lightning, there was no update on Girgensons' status after the contest. He'll have longer than usual to heal up, as the Lightning's next game is Thursday versus the Jets. If he's unable to play, Dominic James would likely re-enter the lineup after being a healthy scratch Saturday.
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Lightning's Zemgus Girgensons: Sweet snipe for hitter
Rotowire
Girgensons got a goal Tuesday in a 4-1 loss to the Rangers.
It was a sweet snipe -- he went high over Dylan Garand's shoulder, surprising the rookie. Girgensons isn't a scorer -- last year, he put up nine goals and 11 assists along with 195 hits. He already has 17 hits in six games this season, a pace that would see him top 200 hits for the first time in his career. Use Girgensons as a punishing pylon who gives you bonus offense like he did Tuesday. Otherwise, leave him on the wire.
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Lightning's Zemgus Girgensons: Set to return Monday
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Girgensons (undisclosed) will be in the lineup for Monday's game against the Red Wings, Eduardo A. Encina of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
Girgensons missed Saturday's win over Boston for an undisclosed reason, but he'll be back on the ice following a one-game absence. Across five appearances this month, he's recorded a goal, 14 hits, three blocked shots and two PIM while averaging 13:51 of ice time.
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Lightning's Zemgus Girgensons: Not available Saturday
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Girgensons (undisclosed) has been ruled out of Saturday's tilt in Boston, Benjamin Pierce of the Lightning's official site reports.
Girgensons has nine goals, nine assists and 192 hits across 72 NHL games this season. He has gone without a point in his last four games. Girgensons could return to the lineup as early as Monday against Detroit.
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Lightning's Zemgus Girgensons: Nets 100th career goal
Rotowire
Girgensons scored a goal and added four hits in Thursday's 6-3 win over the Penguins.
Girgensons ended a 12-game goal drought with the tally. He's picked up the pace with three points over his last four outings. Girgensons' goal Thursday was the 100th of his career, a solid total for a player who's mainly been a bottom-six option throughout his NHL time. He's at 18 points, 88 shots on net, 182 hits, 41 blocked shots and 29 PIM over 68 appearances this season.
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Lightning's Zemgus Girgensons: Good to go
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Girgensons (undisclosed) will play versus the Kraken on Tuesday, per the NHL media site.
Girgensons was hurt in Saturday's game versus the Hurricanes, but he won't miss additional time. The 32-year-old is slated to fill a bottom-six role as usual. He has one goal over 10 games since the Olympic break.
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Lightning's Zemgus Girgensons: Leaves Saturday's game
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Girgensons (undisclosed) left Saturday's game versus the Hurricanes in the second period, and head coach Jon Cooper didn't have an update on the forward's status after the contest, Benjamin Pierce of the Lightning's official site reports.
Girgensons' status for the Lightning's upcoming road trip, which begins Tuesday in Seattle, is up in the air until an update is provided. The Lightning could dress seven defensemen or put Scott Sabourin in the lineup if Girgensons misses time.
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Lightning's Zemgus Girgensons: Lights lamp in Sunday's loss
Rotowire
Girgensons scored a goal, added two PIM and levied four hits in Sunday's 8-7 loss to the Sabres.
Girgensons snapped a six-game point drought with the tally. The 32-year-old has rebounded to his usual level of production this season with 15 points in 55 outings after being limited to six points in 82 regular-season contests last year. Girgensons also has 72 shots on net, 153 hits, 30 blocked shots and 22 PIM while primarily playing in a middle-six role for the Lightning in 2025-26.
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Lightning's Zemgus Girgensons: Record-setting Olympian for Latvia
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Girgensons picked up an assist Sunday in Latvia's 4-2 loss to Denmark at the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026.
It was his fourth helper in eight career Olympic games, which tied Girgensons with Sandis Ozolinsh for the most among Latvians at Olympics featuring NHL players. Latvia plays Sweden on Tuesday in the qualification playoffs, so Girgensons will have a shot at standing alone on that scoring mountain.
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Lightning's Zemgus Girgensons: Two helpers in Olympic win
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Girgensons picked up two assists, one on the power play, in Latvia's 4-3 win over Germany in Olympic round-robin action Saturday.
The veteran center had a hand in tallies by Dans Locmelis in the first period and Eduards Tralmaks in the third as Latvia won its first game of the tournament. Girgensons has three points, all assists, through his first two Olympic games after producing seven goals and 14 points in 48 games for the Lightning this season.
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Lightning's Zemgus Girgensons: Two apples keep doctor away
Rotowire
Girgensons picked up two assists in a 4-1 win over the Jets on Thursday.
The points were his first in seven games. Girgensons had one hit Thursday; he has 116 in 45 games this season. Unfortunately, that single category strength isn't enough to make him fantasy worthy.
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Lightning's Zemgus Girgensons: Gets first goal in 19 games
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Girgensons scored a goal Tuesday in a 4-2 win over Colorado.
It was his first goal in 19 games. Girgensons has just six goals, two assists and 98 hits in 35 games. He leads the Bolts in hits and has put up hits in all but one of those games. Girgensons plays an important on-ice role in the Bolts' bottom six, but his fantasy value is limited.
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Lightning's Zemgus Girgensons: Nabs helper in win
Rotowire
Girgensons logged an assist, two hits, two PIM and a plus-2 rating in Monday's 4-1 win over the Blues.
Girgensons snapped a 12-game point drought when he helped out on Pontus Holmberg's goal 21 seconds into the game. With the helper, Girgensons is at seven points in 29 outings this season, surpassing the six-point regular season he had in 2024-25. This year, he's added 41 shots on net, 84 hits, 20 blocked shots and an even plus-minus rating as a regular in the Lightning's bottom six.
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Lightning's Zemgus Girgensons: Scores for 200th career point
Rotowire
Girgensons scored a goal on two shots and added four hits in Wednesday's 5-1 win over the Flames.
Girgensons' tally stretched the Lightning's lead to 3-0 at 5:52 of the first period, and it chased Dustin Wolf from the Calgary crease. The 31-year-old Girgensons earned the 200th point of his career with the tally, and he's had to work hard to reach that milestone in his 786th appearance. The Latvian forward has been a fine depth player this year with five goals, one assist, 16 shots on net, 46 hits, 15 blocked shots and a minus-2 rating over 16 outings. After shooting 2.4 percent last year, he's at 31.2 percent in 2025-26 in a total reversal of puck luck.
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Lightning's Zemgus Girgensons: Scores fourth goal
Rotowire
Girgensons scored a goal on his lone shot, dished out four hits, racked up two penalty minutes and held a plus-1 rating during his 19:36 of ice time in Saturday's 3-1 win over the Panthers.
Girgensons has goals in back-to-back games while currently serving in a top-line role due to the absences of Brandon Hagel (undisclosed) and Anthony Cirelli (upper body). The 31-year-old Grigensons has four goals and one assist in 10 games this season while averaging 15:05 of ice time per contest. He'll likely drop down the lineup as the team gets healthier, but Girgensons isn't a bad idea in a pinch for fantasy managers dealing with injury issues.
