With the playoffs less than two weeks away, the Bolts are now without their top scorer and captain indefinitely.
Following the Lightning's 3-1 victory over the New Jersey Devils Saturday night at Amalie Arena, the team announced captain Steven Stamkos will require immediate vascular surgery for a blood clot near his right collarbone and miss the next one to three months.
Stamkos, who leads the Lightning in goals (36) and points (64) so far this season, was a listed as a scratch with an upper-body injury against the Devils and missed his first game since returning from his broken tibia in March 2014.