Victor Hedman TBL

UNIONDALE, N.Y. --Victor Hedman's lower-body injury shouldn't prevent the Tampa Bay Lightning's Sweden-born defenseman from playing in the 2019 NHL Global Series in Stockholm next week.

Hedman is on injured reserve and will miss his second straight game Friday, when the Lightning visit the the New York Islanders at Nassau Coliseum (7 p.m. ET; ESPN+, MSG+, SUN, NHL.TV). He sustained the injury in the first period of a 4-1 loss at the New York Rangers on Tuesday.
"He'll be out tonight, but we're hopeful for the games in Sweden," Lightning coach Jon Cooper said, "and so is everybody in the country of Sweden."
The Lightning will practice Sunday in Stockholm, the first of four practices prior to playing back to back games against the Buffalo Sabres at Ericsson Globe on Nov. 8-9.
"What's going on with him now has never for me been a threat that he's not going to play in Sweden," Cooper said, "so until I'm told otherwise I don't have to go through that wave of emotions. My confidence is he'll be skating next week and be able to go. If he can't then we'll address it then, but I'm not there yet."
Hedman is from Ornskoldsvik, Sweden, a coastal city approximately 330 miles north of Stockholm. He is the Lightning's only Sweden-born player.
"I know he's looking forward to this," Cooper said. "If it's more serious, then we'll address it, but I don't think it is."