NHL: The Lightning lose the game and Mikhail Sergachev faces the Rangers

NEW YORK – In addition to their 3-1 loss to the New York Rangers, the Tampa Bay Lightning lost the services of defenseman Mikhail Sergachev on Wednesday night.

Sergeychev went down and caught his left knee after an incident involving Alexis Lafrenière near the ramp in the second half.

The Rangers forward was about to grab the puck when he saw the arrival of Sergachev, who was slightly behind him. Lafrenière reacted by firing a shot from the shoulder into Sergachev's chest. That's when the Lightning defenseman's left skate blade appeared to get stuck in the ice and his leg bent at an unusual angle.

All of the Lightning's color wearers left the bench to gather around their teammates. Players from both teams, including Lafreniere, went to see Sergeychev, who left the ice on a stretcher.

Sergachev returned to action on Wednesday after missing the last 17 matches due to a leg injury he suffered in December.

The Rangers support staff gave their team the win. Jimmy Vesey scored two goals and Barclay Goodreau had two assists. Johnny Brodzinski scored the other goal for the team Blue shirts.

In front of the Rangers net for the second match in a row, Jonathan Quick scored the second victory in the same number of matches by stopping 19 balls. He was outstanding against the Colorado Avalanche on Monday as he made 32 saves against 33 Avalanche shots. Only Brandon Hagel defeated the veteran at Madison Square Garden.

Andrei Vasilevsky made 22 saves on the losing team.

A huge loss for Thunderbolt

Losing Sergachev in the long term could hurt Tampa a lot. The defender appeared to be crying as he held his shirt close to his face while sitting on the stretcher. He gave the thumbs up to the crowd at Madison Square Garden.

“Very tough,” Lightning defenseman Victor Hedman said. To see him in so much pain coming back into the game, you pray for the best, but it clearly doesn't look good. »

Before the end of the second half, Lightning management announced that Sergachev would miss the rest of the match due to a lower body injury.

“At the end of the day, you have your biological family, however [ces joueurs] “They're the guys you spend pretty much your whole life with,” Lightning coach John Cooper said after the game. The emotions were present. The Rangers were worried about him. They all left the bench. It's so much more than just hockey. »

The Russian defender is in his seventh season with the Lightning. He has played 475 career games, including four with the Montreal Canadiens, who selected him ninth overall in the 2016 NHL Draft.