As the Tampa Bay Lightning prepare for the Eastern Conference Finals, their bad luck with injuries continues.
All season long the Lightning have had just about the worst luck with injuries. The worst of the bad luck came right before the start of the playoffs when Steven Stamkos was diagnosed with a blood clot, leaving him sidelined for 1-3 months.
There have been a few more injuries since then, but fortunately for the Lightning, some players like Matt Carle were able to bounce back after only dropping a game or two. As the Lightning prepare for the first game of the Eastern Conference Final tonight, here are a few key injuries to keep your eye on.
Steven Stamkos
Injury: Blood Clot
Injury Status: Out 1-3 Months
After a successful surgery to remove a blood clot found near his collar bone, Stamkos has been sidelined for a while. He has been out for the entirety of the Stanley Cup Playoffs so far, but has been participating in recent optional skates.
This participation hasn’t been too strenuous and has not involved contact but it’s progress. As the Lightning’s regular season goal leader, the impact of this injury was substantial, but not as prominent as most expected since players like Nikita Kucherov, and Brian Boyle have stepped up.
Chance for Return During the Eastern Conference Final: Slim to None
After his successful surgery, Stamkos told his team: “Just go to the Finals and maybe I’ll see you guys.” Due to the serious nature of his injury and lack of a concrete timeline for return, it is unlikely that he will be back in a blue sweater before then.
J.T. Brown
Injury: Upper-Body
Injury Status: Indefinite
During Game Two of the Lightning’s first-round series against the Detroit Red Wings, J.T. Brown blocked a shot that has, unfortunately, sidelined him since then. His sacrificial play left him with an upper-body injury that kept him out of the entire series against the New York Islanders.
This was a tough loss in the middle of the playoffs that forced lines to be changed around.
Chance for Return During the Eastern Conference Final: Likely
J.T. Brown has been participating in optional team skates for a while now and has recently participated in his first regular practice. This is excellent news for the Lightning, but as he is still listed as indefinite, we expect that his return will come towards the end of the series rather than sooner. Knowing Jon Cooper, Brown won’t return until he is completely ready.
Anton Stralman
Injury: Fractured Fibula
Injury Status: Indefinite
On March 25th, the Lightning’s bad luck with injuries continued when Anton Stralman fractured his left fibula. His injury occurred just seven minutes into the game against the New York Islanders when he fell awkwardly on his leg after fighting for position in front of the net with Anders Lee.
Being the Lighting’s second-best blueliner and line mate for Victor Hedman, Stralman’s injury came at a particularly bad time as the playoffs began just a few weeks later. His right-handed shot has been sorely missed as a counter to his line mate’s left-handed shot, which made the Lightning dangerous from both sides at the blue line.
Chance for Return During the Eastern Conference Final: Fairly Likely
Stralman has also participated in his first full practice with the team recently, which is great news for the Lightning. However, Coach Jon Cooper was quick to shut down assumptions about the condition and return of both Brown and Stralman saying:
"“I will just set the record straight now, all injured players are indefinite. Don’t read anything into the jerseys, don’t read anything into anything until you see them at the game.” Cooper said. “It’s unfair to the players. When they’re in, we’ll let you know when they’re going to be in. No use in putting timelines on guys. They usually turn out to be wrong anyway. It’s all speculation.” -Jon Cooper via Joe Smith/Tampa Bay Times"
This seems to shut down the idea of the return of any of these players for the Eastern Conference Final, but it is instead just the head coach looking out for his team. Cooper is keeping his players focused and out of the spotlight of the media until its time for them to play. Based on the status of Stralman’s injury, we believe that a return during the Eastern Conference Final is possible for sure, but not guaranteed.
Erik Condra
Injury: Upper-Body
Injury Status: Day to Day
Erik Condra sustained his injury during game one of the Islanders series when New York Islanders defenseman Casey Cizikas hit him into the boards. Condra was slammed into the boards by Cizikas and the contact caused him to hit his head hard into the glass.
This hit looked pretty scary and had the potential to seriously injure Condra. Fortunately, apart from seeing tiny stars dance around in his head for a little while after the hit, the Lightning forward seems alright. He has been participating in practice with the team and has stated in multiple interviews after the hit that he feels fine.
"“It’s weird sometimes,” Condra said. “I’ve seen guys just get bumped and are out for months. Or it looks really bad and you feel pretty good the next day. And that’s the way it was for me. And I’m happy about that.” – Erik Condra via Joe Smith/Tampa Bay Times"
Chance for Return During the Eastern Conference Final: All but Guaranteed
Condra’s injury in only day-to-day. He has been practicing with the team and has said that he feels great. We don’t like to say that anything is certain, but we would be shocked if he isn’t back for this series.
Next: Lightning Eastern Conference Final Schedule Announced
The Tampa Bay Lightning certainly have a tough task in front of them. Much like the Tampa Bay Lightning, the Pittsburgh Penguins are hungry for the chance to raise the Stanley Cup high above their heads. If the Lightning can manage to get a few of the aforementioned players back into the lineup, the Lightning’s journey could get significantly less tumultous.