very sad and unfair news: Tampa Bay lightning captain Steven Stamkos have finally announced his conclusion divorce with……

Steven Stamkos, captain of the Tampa Bay Lightning, will be sidelined for the game against the Buffalo Sabers on Tuesday due to a lower-body injury, marking his second consecutive absence.

Coach Jon Cooper announced Stamkos’ status as day-to-day before the game, indicating that the injury occurred during a 6-4 loss to Detroit on Saturday when Stamkos blocked a shot. He subsequently missed the following game, a 5-2 loss to Ottawa.

The Lightning (1-2) are wrapping up their three-game road trip in Buffalo (0-2) before heading back to Tampa Bay for a five-game homestand, commencing with a matchup against Vancouver on Thursday.

Tampa Bay is already dealing with the absence of starting goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy, who is recovering from back surgery and is expected to be out for at least another month. Additionally, center Tyler Motte will miss his third consecutive game due to an upper-body injury.

With losses to divisional rivals and key players sidelined, Cooper emphasized the importance of urgency.

“Starting the year with this road trip and coming out with no points against teams we’re competing with for playoff spots, it makes things challenging early on,” Cooper remarked. “Game 4s may not traditionally be seen as crucial, but this one holds significant weight for us.”

Steven Stamkos, the captain of the Tampa Bay Lightning, expressed disappointment regarding the absence of discussions with the team regarding a new contract.

Stamkos’ current eight-year deal worth $68 million is set to expire after the upcoming season, and he revealed that there have been no talks about extending his contract.

“I’m honestly disappointed by the lack of dialogue in that aspect,” Stamkos remarked on Wednesday as Lightning players gathered for the start of training camp. “I made it clear at the end of last season that I wanted to reach an agreement before training camp commenced.”

Tampa Bay, having clinched consecutive Stanley Cup victories in 2020 and 2021 but losing in the final in 2022, has grappled with salary cap constraints for several seasons. The Lightning suffered an early exit in the first-round last season against Toronto.

General manager Julien Brisebois expressed the desire for Stamkos to spend his entire career with the team but stated that discussions won’t occur until after the current season.