The Tampa Bay Lightning have lost Steven Stamkos for a period of time due to an unspecified lower-body injury. The team’s captain is currently out day-to-day with this ailment. The team announced the news just prior to the start of their Thursday night game.
Injury update: Steven Stamkos is out for tonight’s game with a day-to-day, lower-body injury.
— Tampa Bay Lightning (@TBLightning) February 11, 2021
Steven Stamkos Suffers Lower-Body Injury
This loss could be huge for the Lightning as Stamkos was off to a white-hot start in 2020-21. The 30-year-old was tied for the most points on the team with seven goals and 14 points in 11 games. He was also winning face-offs at a blistering rate of 58.2 percent. A fairly average 50.8 percent Corsi For and -.4 relative Corsi aren’t great possession numbers, but it’s hard to argue that Stamkos isn’t having a special season thus far. The only real concern at this stage is if he could maintain a goals-per-60 minutes of 2.07 when his expected rate per Evolving Hockey is only 1.4.
Stamkos has been an outstanding player since the Lightning drafted him first overall in the 2008 Draft. He debuted immediately in 2008-09 and has appeared in over 800 NHL games. He has 429 goals and 846 points in the regular season while appearing in two all-star games and winning the Maurice Richard Trophy twice as well. There is little doubt he is one of the NHL’s premier skaters as he enters the second half of his career.
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How Tampa Replaces Stamkos
Tampa shouldn’t have too much trouble replacing Stamkos if he out for only one or two games. They have several players that can move to the top line centre position including Tyler Johnson. The Lightning still have plenty of firepower outside of Stamkos as both Brayden Point and Anthony Cirelli are having fantastic seasons themselves. The only reason this injury could affect the team is if it lingers and others join Stamkos on the injured list. Even a team as deep as this one isn’t immune to the potential stress of a compressed season.
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