Vincent Lecavalier to miss action with right hand injury
The injury bug has been flying around the National Hockey League and its latest victim is another star player.
Centre Vincent Lecavalier of the Tampa Bay Lightning is suffering from an injury to his right hand. Specifically, he has a bruised knuckle just below his right index finger.
The 30-year-old, who also serves as the Lightning’s team captain, suffered the injury after taking a puck off of his right hand from a shot made by Florida Panthers defenceman, Bryan McCabe,
in a game between the two Florida-based teams on Saturday, 16 October.
The impact from the shot caused Lecavalier’s finger to swell up, but he played through the rest of the game. Lecavalier was hoping to be ready for the Lightning’s game against the Dallas
Stars on Monday, 18 October. But when he arrived at the arena for practice, the swelling had gone down, but he was still having trouble gripping his stick.
“It’s just a little weak,” Lecavalier said of the injury to his finger. “I wanted to play, coming off a tough loss on Saturday.”
X-rays were later taken of Lecavalier’s injured finger, but the results were negative, with no additional tests required. Lecavalier spent Sunday at home with ice on his finger in order
to further decrease the swelling.
“We don’t think this is something that is going to be long term,” said Lightning head coach Guy Boucher. “If this was the playoffs, he would probably be in there.”
The temporary loss of their number one centre forced Boucher to make some changes to his lines. Dominic Moore was placed on the first line between Simon Gagne and Ryan Malone, with Gagne
filling in for Lecavalier on the power play.
Tampa Bay’s next game will be played at home against the New York Islanders on Thursday, 21 October.
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