On Wednesday, the Tampa Bay Lightning moved one step closer to getting their No. 2 goalie back.
Andrei Vasilevskiy, who’s been sidelined since September with a blood clot near his collarbone, has been assigned to the club’s AHL affiliate in Syracuse for a conditioning stint.
More, from NHL.com:
Vasilevskiy had surgery Sept. 3 to remove a blood clot from near his left collarbone and to treat a type of vascular thoracic outlet syndrome. Recovery time was expected to be 2-3 months.
He practiced for the first time Monday.
Syracuse plays Wednesday at Toronto and Friday at home against Hershey.
Tampa’s first-round pick in 2013 -- 19th overall -- Vasilevskiy captured the backup position behind Ben Bishop last season and ran with it, going 7-5-1 with a 2.36 GAA and .918 save percentage.
In the playoffs, he made four appearances, one of which was a start in Game 4 of the Stanley Cup final.
Since Vasilevskiy’s been out, Latvian Olympic hero Kristers Gudlevskis has held down the No. 2 gig and fared well. He stopped 31 of 32 shots in a 1-0 OT loss to Chicago last week.