Injury Bug Bites Bolts

We're a little over a week into the hockey season, and already it seems like injuries are starting to pile up. Tampa has been off to a rough start, going 1-2-1 through the first four games, and have played the last couple of games without team captain Steven Stamkos, which has lead to a sense of urgency from the team.

Last night, the got a point, coming back late to tie the game in the 3rd (Thank you Brandon Hagel) before falling to the Buffalo Sabres in overtime. It closed out a road trip which saw the Bolts lose all three games, getting only one point on the trip. Coach Cooper had expressed it in the media before last night's game that this is a little bit of an urgent time for the Bolts.

The trip was a bit of a bust and not having Stamkos for the last two games shows that there's a few holes in Tampa lineup without their Captain. Couple that with having Tyler Motte and Andrei Vasilevskiy being out as well, its getting a little tougher out of the block for the Lightning.

Yes, its early in the season I'm aware. It's only four games in. But should we really be hitting the panic button now? Not as fast as people are thinking. The lightning have been in this boat before. They've had it happen where they've had to deal with injuries to big time players and they've been able to get it together in time to make it not only to the playoffs but to go on deep playoff runs. SO it is possible to overcome these things.

Sure that three game road trip it didn't look good. The last two looked bad without Stamkos in the lineup. With him out, there are guys starting to step up. Hagel had the big goal last night to get it to overtime in the first place. Things do look rough right now, but that is a silver lining to all of this. There are guys here in Tampa who can step up when called upon. They still have their big guns in Hedman Point and Kucherov.

Just hang on, this team will make it through the storm and come out on the positive side of things.