Tampa Bay Lightning Injury Update: Ryan Callahan returning to lineup against Canadiens
Tampa Bay Lightning alternate captain Ryan Callahan, who has been forced to miss eight games with an Upper-Body Injury, will return to the lineup tonight against the Montreal Canadiens.
The Tampa Bay Lightning has seen more than their fair share of injuries this season. Fortunately, the team has found a way to overcome these challenges and remain at the top of the National Hockey League standings. Unfortunately, this has not been without some challenges along the way.
One of the biggest challenges through the last couple of weeks of play has been the Lightning’s penalty kill. Throughout most of the season, the Lightning’s special teams have been one of the strongest in the league. Then, seemingly out of nowhere, things started to crumble right before fans’ eyes.
Things started to take a turn for the worse after Lightning alternate captain Ryan Callahan, who has been a big part of the Lightning’s penalty kill unity, fell to the injury bug. On December 14, the Lightning did battle with the Arizona Coyotes; a game the Lightning won 4-1.
Around the halfway point in the third period, the play was rushing back into the Lightning’s offensive zone. Both Ryan Callahan and Coyotes defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson were speeding towards the puck. The two of them somehow got tangled up with one another and ended up crashing into the end boards with a resounding thud.
Tampa Bay Lightning
Unfortunately, it was immediately apparent Callahan caught the worst of the collision. Cally was in a tremendous amount of pain and almost immediately clutched his right arm. This would be the last time Lightning fans would see Callahan on the ice.
It was soon announced Callahan would be out indefinitely with an Upper Body Injury, which would be re-evaluated in 3-4 weeks. This left many Lightning fans disappointed as Callahan has been such a workhorse for the Bolts this season.
Today, Lightning fans find themselves at the three-week mark and there is some good news making its way around the Bolts Nation. According to Tampa Bay Lightning Hockey Reporter Caley Chelios, Lightning Head Coach Jon Cooper has said Ryan Callahan will be returning to the lineup tonight as the Lightning take on the Montreal Canadiens.
Needless to say, this is music to the ears of Tampa Bay Lightning fans. As we mentioned previously, Callahan has been an absolute workhorse for the Lightning this season. The scoresheet is definitely not an accurate representation of Cally’s contributions this season.
It will be interesting to see how Callahan’s return shakes things up tonight in Montreal. In addition to the added strength on the penalty kill, Cally’s return also means one of the current players on the roster will be making their exit from the lineup. At this time, there has been no official word on any other roster changes.
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Having Cally return to the lineup tonight is definitely a jolt for the team. The Bolts have a pretty solid schedule in front of them over the course of the next couple of games. It will be nice to have one of the veteran leaders back on the ice with the team.