Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Braydon Coburn missed his first game of the season on Saturday night as the Lightning took on the San Jose Sharks.
The Tampa Bay Lightning has been on quite a rollercoaster this season. The Lightning’s 25th Anniversary Season has brought a lot of cheers thus far, but there has been a fair amount of sighs as well. Through it all, the Lightning has somehow managed to remain atop both the Atlantic Division and the NHL.
Unfortunately, this has not been an easy journey for the Lightning so far. After a season where injuries seemed to consistently write the narrative, the Bolts were hoping for an injury-free season. Regrettably, as with just about any contact sport, this was simply not in the cards.
While there are some players like Lightning defenseman Jake Dotchin, who have felt the long-term effects of the injury bug, there are some players who are getting their first taste of the incredibly bitter pill. One of these aforementioned players is Lightning defenseman Braydon Coburn.
Coburn was forced to miss his first game of the season on Saturday night as the Tampa Bay Lightning took on the San Jose Sharks at the Amalie Arena; a game in which the Lightning won 5-2. There has been no official word from the team regarding the severity of the injury, but Coburn is definitely dealing with something.
According to Tampa Bay Lightning Beat Writer Bryan Burns, Lightning Head Coach Jon Cooper has said Braydon Coburn is still considered to be day-to-day with a Lower-Body Injury. On the bright side, Cooper did go on to say Coburn is “making progress.”
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Coburn is currently in third place on the team among defensemen in Blocked Shots with 27, giving him an average of 1.1 Blocked Shots per Game; a category in which he is also in third place on the team. While the 32-year-old defenseman has not made it to the scoresheet with a goal of his own just yet, he has managed to notch himself seven assists thus far.
With Coburn still considered to be day-to-day, it would seem likely defenseman Slater Koekkoek will continue to get some much-deserved ice time. Of course, there is always a chance things could change when game time approaches. Coach Cooper has seemed to favor defenseman Andrej Sustr a little more this season. While we here at Bolts By The Bay don’t exactly have an explanation for this, it remains a solid fact.
The Tampa Bay Lightning has an interesting task in front of them tomorrow night. The Lightning will once again open up the doors to the Amalie Arena to take on the New York Islanders in their second of three meetings this season. The Bolts were not exactly successful in their first meeting back on November 18. The Isles would ultimately defeat the Bolts 5-3.
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If the Lightning wants to change the current trend against the Isles, they are going to have to not only manage to make up for the players sitting the sidelines with injuries but bring their best ‘A’ game. This means being aggressive with the puck and playing a consistent 60 minutes of hockey.