Tampa Bay Lightning: Injuries Prevalent Halfway Through Season
Injuries continue to take down players of the top team in the NHL. The Tampa Bay Lightning continues to battle through the pain and lead the league with 65 points.
Over halfway through the season, the Tampa Bay Lightning stands atop the NHL, and have done so for the majority of the season. However, this fact does not mean the Bolts have had an easy path to victory. Some key players have various injuries this season, causing Coach Jon Cooper to scramble for replacements.
A long list of injuries has filled the team just 44 games into the season. It starts with players like defenseman Jake Dotchin and forward Cedric Paquette. Dotchin missed 11 games due to an undisclosed injury.
Paquette has only played 29 games this season, missing a handful of games with a lower-body injury. While these players may not be on top lines, they are important factors to a successful Lightning team.
Tampa Bay Lightning
Defenseman Anton Stralman missed two games due to injury, and backup goaltender Peter Budaj was placed on Injured Reserve after leaving a game with a leg injury. Stralman is a veteran that has proved his spot on the team. Budaj’s injury led to Syracuse Crunch goaltender Louis Domingue to get called up and start a game.
This is not the only year where injuries are prominent. Bolts Nation has seen our Captain, Steven Stamkos, fall to the injury bug time and time again. Early in the 2013 season, Stamkos broke his right tibia and was forced to miss the remainder of the season.
In a 2016 playoff run, blood clots cause the star center to sit out as the Bolts looked for a Stanley Cup. Luckily, the captain is healthy this season and leads the team with assists.
With a sport as intense as hockey, injuries happen. A lot. So far this season, Ryan Callahan, Dan Girardi, and Victor Hedman are the three injuries that will impact this season the most.
Winger Ryan Callahan out for three weeks after a short season last year.
Lightning forward Ryan Callahan left the lineup for three weeks with an upper-body injury. The winger collided with Arizona Coyotes defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson in the end boards on Dec. 14 that would cause him to leave the game. The Bolts won the game against the Coyotes, 4-1.
While the Lightning only lost two games while Callahan was out, 10 power play goals were given up. Callahan is a big factor for the penalty kill, and his injury resulted in a loss of a strong defensive forward.
Callahan returned to the lineup in a 2-1 shootout loss against the Montreal Canadiens on Jan. 4. There have only been three power play goals scored against the Lightning since.
Callahan has had his fair share of injuries over the years. In his 12 year career, Callahan has never played a full 82 game season. Last season, the forward was placed on injured reserve multiple times, and only played 18 games.
The winger has 6 points in 34 games, with only one goal. Callahan joined the Lightning in 2014 for a “captain for captain” trade with the New York Rangers. The Rangers acquired Martin St.Louis while the Lightning acquired Callahan. The now assistant captain has 103 points in his Lightning career so far.
The Bolts Nation can only hope that Callahan is fully healthy again and ready to take on the second half of the season. Callahan’s ability to block shots and hit players twice his size will prove valuable for the Bolts.
Dan Girardi leaves the game after blocking the puck with his head.
Two games after Callahan’s return, Lightning defenseman Dan Girardi takes a puck to the head and leaves the game against the Detroit Red Wings.
Girardi scores his third goal of the season in this game. He also records his eighth assist of the season, off of a Tyler Johnson wrist shot. The game was looking pretty good offense wise for the defenseman until a shot got a little too close for comfort.
At first, it does not look pretty. Girardi immediately falls to the ice after attempting to block a shot from Red Wings forward Martin Frk. The puck hits the side of Girardi’s head, and doctors rush to help.
Luckily, Girardi was able to skate on his own. The Bolts also are able to win the game against the Red Wings, 5-2. Girardi will look to return to the lineup after the Lightning’s six-day bye week.
Girardi is on a two-year contract, $3 million each year after signing in the offseason. The defenseman brings leadership to a young team, and experience in the offseason. Girardi helped the New York Rangers move on to the Stanley Cup Finals in 2014.
The Rangers bought out Girardi’s contract, which had three more years remaining. He spent 11 seasons with the Rangers, before coming to Tampa Bay.
Despite a brief injury, Girardi is a defenseman the Bolts depend on to win games. With a six-day break, Girardi should be ready to go to help fill space after the Lightning’s most recent injury: Victor Hedman.
One of the best defenseman in the league, Victor Hedman, now out for three to six weeks.
Now, the Lightning’s star defenseman Victor Hedman is out for three to six weeks with a lower-body injury. A knee-to-knee hit with Calgary Flames winger Garnet Hathaway up against the boards results in Hedman skating off the ice without putting weight on his left leg.
The Lightning’s offense will need to keep doing what they do best: score. Losing Victor Hedman, undoubtedly a Norris trophy contender, will be a big deficit for the Bolts. Defensemen like Anton Stralman (who has already missed two games due to injury) and Mikhail Sergachev need to shine these next couple of weeks in order to fill the space Hedman fills.
While a huge loss for the Bolts, Hedman out also results in a loss for the Atlantic Division all-stars. There are a couple of options for the Atlantic team to replace Hedman. One is Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman, Morgan Rielly. Rielly has 31 points in 45 games so far. He has the second most points for a defenseman in the Atlantic Division, behind Hedman.
Another option and hometown favorite is Sergachev. The Lightning rookie has tallied 26 points in his first 44 games and is tied for first in points for the rookie defenseman in the league. However, with three players – Steven Stamkos, Nikita Kucherov, and Andrei Vasilevskiy – already on the team, the odds are slim for the 19-year-old.
Next: J.T. Brown Claimed Off Waivers By Anaheim Ducks
The Lightning looks for revenge at home against the Vegas Golden Knights Jan. 18, despite a team filled with injuries. The first meeting in franchise history for both teams back in December fell short when the Golden Knights scores to win the game with only three seconds left.