Tampa Bay Lightning F Tyler Johnson Hit In The Face With Puck During Warmups

Tampa Bay Lightning center Tyler Johnson was struck in the face by a deflected puck during the pregame warmups of Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Final.

We are not quite sure what the Tampa Bay Lightning have done to anger the hockey gods so, but the Lightning definitely cannot seem to catch a break on the injury front. It seems like every time the Tampa Bay Lightning get players back on the ice, there is yet another name to add to the list.

The Tampa Bay Lightning are faced with a crucial Game 4 matchup tonight against Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins. If the Lightning emerge victorious tonight, the series heads back to Pittsburgh split right down the center. Should the Lightning be greeted by defeat, they will head deep into enemy territory with a 3-1 deficit. Definitely not a situation the Lightning or their fans want to see themselves in.

As the team took the ice for their pregame warmups, the hockey gods attempted to throw a wrench in the Tampa Bay Lightning’s plan for victory. Tampa Bay Lightning center Tyler Johnson, the Lightning’s leading point scorer, was struck in the face with a puck that deflected off the goal post.

It was made apparently clear by the speed in which he made his way to off the ice and down the tunnel to the Tampa Bay Lightning locker room, he was in quite a bit of pain. As you can imagine, this is certainly not what the Lightning needed heading into tonight’s Game 4.

As the time continued to tick off the clock, Tampa Bay Lightning fans began to worry whether or not Johnson would be in the lineup after the unfortunate incident. Thankfully, just before the puck dropped at the Amalie Arena, it was announced by the crew at the NBC Sports Network that Tyler Johnson would, in fact, be in the lineup tonight.

It would be at the very last second, but Johnson would make his way back out on the ice. This time, he would have a little more hardware with him. Tyler Johnson rejoined his team with a full cage on his helmet. Throughout the course of the first period, you could tell Johnson was having some difficulty getting used to the cage, but it’s a much better option than the alternative.

Next: Lightning Needs To Expose Matt Murray In Game 4

There is plenty of hockey left to play between these two Eastern Conference teams, but if the Tampa Bay Lightning continue to play the way they did in the first 30 seconds of the game, the Pittsburgh Penguins are going to be in for the fight of their life tonight.