Lightning injury report revealed; the Bolts dealt with some serious injuries during Round 1 matchup with Leafs
With Round 1 having drawn to a close with New Jersey eliminating the New York Rangers in Game 7, it was only a matter of time before we started of hearing about the nature of the injuries that guys were dealing with in the first round of the playoffs once their teams were sent packing.
The Leafs drew a very tough opponent in the Tampa Bay Lightning in Round 1, but they had shown themselves to be up to the task, eliminating the Bolts in 6. On Tuesday, we found out which Lightning players were injured and just how bad.
Tanner Jeannot was reportedly deadling with a high ankle sprain, which led to him coming out of the lineup for Mikey Eyssimont. Speaking of Eyssimont, he was dealing with concussion-like symptoms prior to being cleared to return for Game 5.
I'm sure we're all curious about Erik Cernak, who was clocked by Leafs winger Michael Bunting in Game 1. Cernak was diagnosed with a concussion. He was not close to returning, but was reportedly making progress.
Victor Hedman's injury was one that left him with limited mobility. Hedman reportedly played through a hip impingement. Knowing that now, what he was able to do for the Lightning in Round 1 was even more impressive. His play was arguably the best on the team in the first round.
As for Brayden Point, who was on the receiving end of a scary collision with Morgan Rielly that sent him hard into the boards in Game 2, he suffered a rib cage cartilage fracture. Anyone who had suffered a rib injury knows just how uncomfortable and debilitating it can be. Hats off to Point for the way he was able to gut it out for his team.
There's no doubt that the Leafs are also dealing with a number of injuries of their own, but we likely won't know the severity or nature of the injuries until after their postseason reaches its conclusion. Hopefully that isn't until the Stanley Cup Finals, after the team has celebrated its first Cup win in 56 years.
