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Led by a game-winning power-play goal from Brian Boyle midway through the third period of a 3-1 final over the New Jersey Devils, the Tampa Bay Lightning kept pace with the Florida Panthers (who beat the Montreal Canadiens with a last-minute goal) in the race for the Atlantic Division crown.
But that’s not the story fans left Amalie Arena -- for the final time this regular season -- talking about.
The captain, Steven Stamkos, a late scratch from the Lightning lineup on Saturday night, will be out for the next one-to-three months with a blood clot in his arm that will require surgery.
“Obviously this situation is extremely disappointing because I wanted to help my team clinch a playoff spot and prepare for the start of the postseason,… Stamkos said. “During my recovery I will do all I can to help my teammates, and I hope to rejoin them soon in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.…
Stamkos, who leads the Bolts in goals (36), points (64), power-play goals (14), and shots (216) this season, will undergo the surgery on Monday, Apr. 4,by Dr. Karl Illig at Tampa General Hospital.
This loss is just plain gigantic.
A Bolts group without Stamkos is a dramatically different Bolts group. That part of it isn’t even worth really talking about, in my opinion. But a Bolts group without Stamkos come playoff time? Absurdly different. The 26-year-old came through with seven goals and 18 points in 26 postseason tilts a year ago, and has scored 15 goals and totaled 35 points in 48 career postseason games overall.
With Stamkos out of action on Saturday, Lightning head coach Jon Cooper reunited the Triplets line with Tyler Johnson in the middle of Ondrej Palat and Nikita Kucherov as his de facto first line. Valtteri Filppula slid in as the second line center with Alex Killorn and Ryan Callahan on the wings, Vladdy Namestnikov centered a third line featuring Cedric Paquette and J.T. Brown, and Erik Condra and Mike Blunden drew back into the lineup on a fourth line with Brian Boyle at center.
That combination put Jonathan Marchessault, formerly on the second line, in the press box.
Asked if Stamkos’ absence opens the door for the return of Jonathan Drouin -- who has nine goals and 10 points in 10 games since returning to the Syracuse Crunch -- Lightning general manager Steve Yzerman said that it was something that the club would consider.
It’s the timeline that’s really tricky for the Lightning, too.
A one-month absence? That would put Stamkos in a line to return by the second round. And could the Lightning make it to the second round without Stamkos? I’d like to think so. A two-month absence? Stamkos would return by the end of the Conference Finals or beginning of the Stanley Cup Finals. Could they make it that far without No. 91? Well, to be honest, I don’t believe so. One round is a relatively easy task, at least more attainable than a three-round run without their captain, anyhow.
The Bolts, with Stamkos back home and expected to make a full recovery, will finish the year on a four-game road swing with stops in Brooklyn, Manhattan, Jersey, and a season finale in Montreal.
Ty Anderson has been covering the National Hockey League for HockeyBuzz.com since 2010, has been a member of the Pro Hockey Writers Association's Boston Chapter since 2013, and can be contacted on Twitter, or emailed at Ty.AndersonHB[at]gmail.com.