Tampa Bay captain Steven Stamkos will miss Monday’s game against the Blue Jackets in Columbus with a lower-body injury, the team announced.
Stamkos was not on the ice for the Lightning’s morning skate session and is listed as day-to-day. Coach Jon Cooper said after the skate that he doesn’t expect the injury to be long term and that Stamkos might be available to play on Tuesday in Pittsburgh.
Stamkos has 26 goals and 59 points in 52 games, as the Lightning, last season’s Presidents’ Trophy winners as the league’s No. 1 regular-season team, have shaken a slow start to firmly establish themselves in a congested Eastern Conference playoff race. Entering Monday’s game, Tampa Bay was in second place in the Atlantic Division with 75 points, five behind front-running Boston.
Stamkos — who missed a three-game stretch in November, also with a lower-body injury — has a point in his last 10 games. He leads the team with eight power-play goals.