Steven Stamkos Injury: Updates on Lightning Star's Head and Recovery

Updates from Monday, April 21

Louis Jean of TVA Sports has the latest on Steven Stamkos:

Original Text

Things just keep getting worse for the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Down 0-2 in the 2014 Stanley Cup Playoffs entering Sunday's action against the Montreal Canadiens, the Lightning are now dealing with an injury to star center Steven Stamkos after taking a knee to the head.

Kevin McGran of the Toronto Star reported the injury as it happened on the ice:

The NHL on NBC reports that the knee was accidental as Stamkos went to the ice after losing the edge on his skate:

Joe Smith of the Tampa Bay Times also confirmed that Stamkos was taken to the locker room and gave a blow-by-blow breakdown of the second period for the Lightning:

Chris Johnston of Rogers Sportsnet reported Stamkos did return to the ice in the third period:

Missy Zielinski of lightning.nhl.com spoke with Stamkos about the decision to re-enter the game after Montreal's 3-2 win:

David Amber of Hockey Night in Canada spoke with Jon Cooper about allowing him to go back in the game:

This injury for Stamkos is not his first on the season. On Nov. 11, 2013, Stamkos suffered a broken tibia that held him out for much of the season, but his return sparked a run by Tampa Bay all the way to the playoffs.

Here's a video of the injury for the captain:

As for Stamkos' thoughts on the series, even with a two-game deficit (now three after Sunday's 3-2 loss), he spoke about putting the team before himself to earn the win, per Gary Shelton of the Tampa Bay Times:

"

I'm not satisfied unless we win. I'd trade personal success for team success. It would still be a story if I wasn't producing, but we were winning.

It's not just me. Collectively we aren't going far as a team if just one player is playing well. We weren't satisfied with our effort (in Wednesday's 5-4 overtime loss in Game 1). The more we watch the tape, the more we see things that we can improve on.

"

In just 37 games played this season, Stamkos still registered 25 goals and 40 points on the year. His goal-scoring threat from anywhere on the ice and ability to create scoring opportunities made him a catalyst for the Lightning's success.

The extent of the injury hasn't been reported, but if Stamkos isn't 100 percent for the Lightning, the 0-3 deficit will be insurmountable for Tampa Bay. When more information about the injury comes through, it will be added immediately to this story.

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