Lightning defenceman Hedman out 3-6 weeks with lower-body injury

Tampa Bay Lightning defencemen Victor Hedman would be slow to leave the ice after taking a hit along the boards.

Tampa Bay Lightning defenceman Victor Hedman will be sidelined for 3-6 weeks with a lower-body injury, the team announced Friday.

While the exact nature of Hedman injury wasn’t disclosed by the Lightning it seems as if it stemmed from a knee-on-knee hit between him and Calgary Flames forward Garnet Hathaway during Thursday’s contest.

Midway through the second period, Hedman and Hathaway collided in a seemingly harmless play along the mid-boards. Much to the Lightning’s chagrin, however, the star blue-liner had to exit the game with assistance of team medical staff.

Hedman, who was selected to the all-star game this season, will now likely have to miss the Jan. 28 affair, given his injury’s timeline.

With 33 points on the campaign, the 27-year-old ranks third amongst all defencemen in scoring and boasts a league-best plus-24 rating.

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