Lightning captain Steven Stamkos misses a second straight game
BUFFALO — Steven Stamkos missed his second straight game Tuesday night in Buffalo with a lower-body injury.
Stamkos didn’t take the ice for Tuesday morning’s skate at KeyBank Center, and Lightning coach Jon Cooper said he is still considered day-to-day.
The Lightning captain missed just one regular-season game in each of the past two seasons. This already was his second in just four games this season.
Stamkos was injured in the second period of Saturday’s 6-4 loss in Detroit. He went down the tunnel hunched over but returned soon afterward, then appeared to take a shot off his right leg. He finished the game but did not play Sunday in Ottawa.
Without Stamkos, the Lightning used two defensemen on their top power-play unit. During the morning skate, Victor Hedman quarterbacked the power play from the point, with Mikhail Sergachev in Stamkos’ usual spot in the left circle in their typical 1-3-1 formation with Brayden Point, Nikita Kucherov and Nick Paul.
When Stamkos missed Sunday’s 5-2 loss in Ottawa, Brandon Hagel filled his spot. The power play was 0-for-2 with only three shots on goal, and Hagel had just one attempt.
“It’s about what’s going to give us the best chance to score,” Cooper said ahead of Tuesday’s game. “We’ve had different looks there. We just don’t have a lot of practice time right now in that situation. … We’ve had guys play there, and whether it’s Sergy or Hagel or somebody else we put there, we’ll find a way.
“When you think about our playoffs in 2020, we went the whole playoff season without Stammer there and we did OK, so we’ll find a way. Obviously, you want him there. He’s one of the best ever to play in that spot in this league. So, it’s tough not having him there, but we’ll find a way.”
Sergachev played in the left circle during the 2020 playoffs, but it’s definitely different than running the power play from the point.
“We have some really good players on the ice, so we’ll try to keep the puck there,” Sergachev said after practice. “It’s nothing new to me, but I have to see what’s behind me. I’m no Kuch, so that’s tougher for me, but I’ll try to figure it out (Tuesday night).”
“You just have to realize you have more time than you think, because those four, they’re not going to go out of their way to try to get the puck away from you. So that’s why you have to kind of take a look before you make a play.”
With the Lightning’s two top defensemen on the No. 1 unit, defenseman Darren Raddysh operated the second power-play group. His presence gives it a different look up top, since he’s a right-shot defenseman.
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