This is a terrible break for the Tampa Bay Lighting and it comes just days before the 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
On Saturday night Tampa Bay Lightning star defenseman Victor Hedman appeared to be shaken up after a collision with Washington Capitals veteran Carl Hagelin but it seemed to be a relatively minor incident. However as time wore on it became clear that Hedman was riding the bench and not coming out for any shifts, and now the Lightning have confirmed some very bad news.
According to a breaking news reporting from Sportsnet National Hockey League insider Elliotte Friedman, Hedman has been officially ruled out of tonight's game with an upper body injury. We assumed as much when Hedman failed to come out at all for the game's third period, however the confirmation of an upper body injury may be a major issue.
Hedman appeared to get caught on the chin by Hagelin's helmet, and anyone who has been hit on the chin before knows why that spot is called "the button," in combat sports. Getting hit on the chin can absolutely scrambled your brain and can easily leave you concussed, which could very well be the case with Hedman here.
When you consider that the Lightning are set to kick off the 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs in just a few short days the timing could not be worse.
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