"All the success we've had here the last few years, you'd have to put him at the top of the list as the reason why we've had that success," Lightning coach Jon Cooper said Monday. "It's unfortunate because he's a guy who plays the game the right way, he plays hard, he goes to all of those dirty areas. He's been part of a pretty productive line for us. But we've lost guys before and have been able to find a way."
Tampa Bay also is without defenseman Victor Hedman, who sustained a lower-body injury in a 5-1 loss to the Calgary Flames on Jan. 11. The Lightning said he would miss 3-6 weeks.
The Lightning are in first place in the Eastern Conference (67 points) and ended a three-game losing streak with a 2-0 win against the Chicago Blackhawks at United Center on Monday.
"He's such a big part of our team," Cooper said. "Hearing that and for the boys to come out and do what they did [Monday], hopefully we can keep carrying that on."
