The Tampa Bay Lightning beat the New York Islanders 7-4 in a rip-roaring game. They moved, at least briefly, into first place in the Atlantic Division by doing so. And they probably feel pretty empty.
That’s what happens when an injury overshadows your successes, which is absolutely the case on Friday, as the team announced that Anton Stralman is out indefinitely “with a non-displaced fracture of his left fibula.”
(You can see that awkward fall in the video above. If you’re a Lightning fan, you may especially want to skip it.)
Brutal, just brutal. Obviously, “out indefinitely” is openly vague, but a fracture implies a pretty long stay on the shelf. It’s possible that the Lightning won’t see Stralman again until 2016-17.
Head coach Jon Cooper seems more optimistic, however:
Cooper said Stralman will miss the rest of the regular season but was hopeful he'd be back in the playoffs. #TBLightning
— Bryan Burns (@BBurnsNHL) March 26, 2016
Let’s summarize just how important Stralman is to a Lightning team that was rising to the challenge after a somewhat disappointing start to 2015-16.
Stralman on short list of players #TBLightning can ill afford to lose. Averages 22 minutes, plays all situations, PP/PK, Hedman partner
— Joe Smith (@JoeSmithNHL) March 26, 2016
Big blow, no doubt.
Mood in the #TBLightning locker room somewhat somber despite the victory, everybody's thoughts on Stralman. "Big loss" Palat said.
— Bryan Burns (@BBurnsNHL) March 26, 2016
Anders Lee seems sad about it:
Lee on Stralman injury: "That's the last thing I want to see. We were battling in front, next thing I know he's down. You hate to see that."
— Arthur Staple (@StapeAthletic) March 26, 2016
Note: Nikita Kucherov was shaken up during the game, too, but returned for a shift. He’s another guy to watch.
#TBLightning Cooper said it was encouraging to see Kucherov finish game after blocking shot. Will see how he feels tomorrow
— Joe Smith (@JoeSmithNHL) March 26, 2016