Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Tampa Bay Lightning star Nikita Kucherov will be out indefinitely with a lower-body injury he suffered late in the two-time defending Stanley Cup champions’ overtime win over the Washington Capitals last weekend.
“It’s definitely not a day-to-day thing, so we’ll wait until we get an official word, but he’s definitely out,” Lightning coach Jon Cooper said after practice Monday. “He’s going to be out for a while here. We’re not going to put a timetable on it until we get an official word. In the short term here he’s definitely out.”
Kucherov missed all of the 2020-21 regular season after undergoing hip surgery in the offseason. He returned in the playoffs to have eight goals and 24 assists to help the Lightning win their second consecutive Stanley Cup.
The 2019 Hart Trophy winner appeared to suffer an abdominal or groin injury chasing a puck during the third period of a 2-1 overtime victory at Washington last Saturday night.
“I’m more frustrated for him because I just know the work it took for him to get back,” Cooper said. “He was rewarded in the end with hoisting the Stanley Cup again, but I know he was looking forward to having a big year.”
