And so a Tampa Bay Lightning season that has tested the patience and belief of coaches, management, players and fans to the nth degree suddenly became even more dire Saturday night with the announcement that captain Steven Stamkos would be lost to the team for between one and three months with a vascular issue.
The news throws a pall over the 2015 Stanley Cup finalists as they head into the final week of the regular season contemplating a playoff run without their captain and leading goal-scorer.
Stamkos was surprisingly held out of Saturday’s win over the New Jersey Devils and the announcement that he would undergo surgery on Monday for a vascular condition near his right collarbone came after the game.