After his left leg twisted at an uncomfortable angle seven minutes into the second period of the Lightning’s game against the New York Rangers on Wednesday night, Tampa Bay defenseman Mikhail Sergachev had to be taken off the court on a stretcher.
In the Lightning end of the rink, the 25-year-old defenceman went down along the boards and grasped his left knee. After Lafreniere attempted a reverse hit on the advancing Tampa Bay player, Sergachev and the Rangers forward got intertwined. Sergachev’s knee bent at an odd angle, and his left skate seemed to stick in the ice.
After missing the previous 17 games due to a leg injury sustained in December, Sergachev made his comeback on Wednesday. Before the second period was over, the Lightning announced that Sergachev was out for the game due to a lower body injury. After the game, there was no update on his status.
Extremely resilient. Victor Hedman, a defenseman with the Lightning, stated that Sergei was in excruciating pain during his first game back. “You hope for the best, but things aren’t looking good,”
The whole Lightning squad gathered around their injured defensemen, moving from the bench. As Sergachev exited the rink on a mobile stretcher, players from both teams approached him as well. Seated on the stretcher, Sergachev seemed to be crying as he held his jersey near to his face. He applauded the Madison Square Garden audience.
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“After the game, Lightning coach Jon Cooper said, ‘In the end, you have your family, your biological family, but these are the people you spend pretty much your whole life with.” “This kid is really tough.” Feelings were surfacing. The Rangers obviously had affection for him. Everybody got off the bench. It goes beyond only hockey.
The Russian defenceman has played with the Lightning for seven seasons. Having participated in four games with the Montreal Canadiens, who took him ninth overall in the 2016 NHL draft, he has played 475 games in his career.
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