Lightning defenseman Mikhail Sergachev was taken off the Madison Square Garden ice on a stretcher in the second period of Tampa Bay’s 3-1 loss to the Rangers on Wednesday night.
The 25-year-old, who was playing in his first game back after missing the last 17 with a lower-body injury, hit the ice after absorbing a reverse hit from Alexis Lafreniere near the corner.
Sergachev crumpled to the ice and held his knee in clear pain before he was loaded onto a stretcher and ushered off the Garden ice.
“I don’t know,” Lightning coach Jon Cooper told reporters when asked if he’s preparing for Sergachev’s season to be over. “Let’s not think that way.”
Lightning players said they tried to rally after the injury, but it became difficult in the loss.
“You want to try to rally behind that, but we’re humans first,” Steven Stamkos said, according to the Tampa Bay Times. “And when you see something like that, like I said, it puts an uneasy feeling in your stomach. So it puts the game into perspective and we just hope he’s OK.”
In the 33 games he’s played this year, the veteran defenseman has two goals and 17 assists.
In 475 career games, Sergachev has 48 goals and 209 assists.
He’s played all but four of his career games with the Lightning.