Tampa Bay Lightning: Injuries Prevalent Halfway Through Season
By Lane Fahey
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.