TAMPA — The Lightning are hopeful that Mikhail Sergachev will return this weekend, they just aren’t confident he will be available for

both of the back-to-back games at Amalie Arena.

The defenseman was on the ice Thursday for practice, but Jon Cooper admitted Sergachev’s lower-body injury is taking longer to heal.

“Hopefully one of the two (games),” the Lightning coach said of Sergachev’s return. “I doubt both. Because it’s a tough injury for him.

So it takes a little time to heal, especially the stress with skating, so he’s getting close, but I can’t sit here and say for sure if he’ll be in

the lineup against the Rangers (on Saturday night).” The Lightning host Montreal on New Year’s Eve.

Sergachev took a puck off the back of his left foot on Dec. 19. He missed the next three games, and Cooper said the defense corps has

had to compensate.

“Sergy, he’s a big part of our D-corps. And he’s a big strong man back there that can defend,” Cooper explained. “I think part of what

we have to do when some of our top guys are out is simplify the game. Our D has done just that and (Haydn) Fleury has stepped in and

just made all the simple plays you have to make and hasn’t tried to be Sergachev … and it’s really worked out for us. So that’s a big part

of our game is just being able to defend, defend and get pucks out and Fleury has done that.”

Goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy was not on the ice Thursday but Cooper said that it was a rest day. He expects Vasilevskiy to start one of

the games this weekend. Tampa Bay will use backup Jonas Johansson on one of the days to help keep Vasilevskiy, who had back

surgery before the season, healthy.

“We’ll split them up,” Cooper said, “but we just don’t know which guy will have which one yet.”