Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Emil Lilleberg broke out of the defensive cage on Saturday night, bursting up ice and burying the game-winning goal in the third period of a 4-2 win over Atlantic Division rival Ottawa.
That’s one cage down with one more to go.
Lilleberg’s goal celebration was shouted through the protection of a full cage on his helmet on a night he scored the winning goal and added two assists for a career-best three-point performance. He became just the fourth Norwegian-born player to post a three-point game in the NHL.
“I think that might be glued on,” Brandon Hagel joked of the cage after Lilleberg’s three points on Saturday.
“That builds a lot of confidence for a player. No one wants to be injured. No one wants to have to sit out, not go on the road with guys. We're all warriors. We all want to win. We all want to play, and he's done a heck of a job for us this year.”
Lilleberg knows well the tribulations of having to miss time—the 25-year-old defenseman has missed 30 games due to injury this season, most recently a seven-game absence earlier this month after taking a puck to the face in practice.
Lilleberg was practicing with the Lightning in Minnesota when he poked toward a teammate who was releasing the puck. The puck rode up his stick blade and hit him just above the right side of his mouth, fracturing a bone in his face.
Shortly after the fracture, Lilleberg asked if he could still play in the next game. He was on strict orders to sit out so he could recover, but that hunger to play never faded during his seven-game absence.
“Even though he wanted to (play), there’s no way he could,” coach Jon Cooper said after Saturday’s win.
A doctor looked at the x-ray and immediately told the team that Lilleberg needed surgery.
He flew back to Tampa without the team for the procedure and missed time while the Lightning continued to play. Initially, Lilleberg’s diet was strictly liquids as he consumed an exorbitant variety of soup and smoothies.
He lost eight pounds in the first week of recovery alone.
“It was hard to eat. It was a terrible surgery, so it’s obviously nice to be back again,” Lilleberg said. “I’m trying to eat more and more as I’m coming back.”
He has since graduated to solid food but is still eager for the day he can eat steak again.
“Steak is still a little hard, so chicken and pasta is the go-to right now. I’m excited to hopefully eat steak soon.”
The Norwegian defenseman has adorned the full cage in all six games since returning from the injury on March 21, a move that required some adjusting on the ice.
Lilleberg is accustomed to wearing a visor like most other NHLers and initially tried wearing the ‘bubble’, the full-face shield made of visor material to prevent the wiring of a traditional cage.
Sweat and breathing created fog on the bubble, making it hard for him to see the puck. He went back to the full cage, just like when he was a kid.
“It was really hard to see the puck after I’ve had the cage off for a long time now,” Lilleberg said. “I used to wear it when I was younger, but it’s still hard. Now I’m more comfortable with it after using it for two weeks.”
Visibility didn’t look to be an issue this weekend during Lilleberg’s career night, one in which he also set a career high in plus-minus at plus-4.
“It’s probably tough with the cage on I’m sure, but he definitely has it in him,” Hagel said. “He's obviously had a tough little little stretch there come back from injury. Little stuff like that can bring some confidence, so good for him. Happy he got it.”
After his big game on Saturday, the defenseman then assisted on Corey Perry's game-winning goal in Sunday's 3-2 win over the Predators. He is up to a career-high three goals while scoring 10 points in 41 games this season.
