Lightning at Oilers
The Tampa Bay Lightning will be without their top defenseman Monday as they continue their five-game road trip against the Edmonton Oilers. Victor Hedman is likely to miss the remainder of Tampa Bay's trek after suffering an upper-body injury in Saturday's 4-2 victory at Vancouver. The 23-year-old Swede was holding his right hand as he left the ice in the second period and did not return.
Steven Stamkos scored two goals and set up another in the triumph, giving him five tallies in his last three contests. Edmonton remains in search of its first victory after opening its season-high seven-game homestand with a 2-0 loss to Vancouver on Friday. The Oilers, who are off to their worst start since beginning the 1992-93 campaign with four losses and a tie, have been outscored 15-5 in their last three games.
TV: 9:30 p.m. ET, Sun Sports (Tampa Bay), RSN West, TVA (Edmonton)
ABOUT THE LIGHTNING (3-1-1): Hedman entered Saturday's contest leading the team - and all NHL defensemen - with seven points. "You really feel for him," coach Jon Cooper said. "He's come out of the gate so strong. He's poised just to build on the year he had last year." Left wing Jonathan Drouin, the third overall pick of the 2013 draft, was recalled from Syracuse of the American Hockey League on Sunday and could make his NHL debut in Edmonton.
ABOUT THE OILERS (0-4-1): Edmonton came up with its best defensive effort of the season Saturday, allowing only two goals after yielding at least four in each of its first four contests. Taylor Hall leads the club with three goals and four points, with all but one tally coming against Arizona last Wednesday. Center Mark Arcobello is second behind Hall with two goals and is Edmonton's only player with a favorable plus/minus rating at plus-1.
OVERTIME
1. Tampa Bay has yet to allow more than two goals in a game this season.
2. Monday's contest will be Edmonton's first against a team from a division other than the Pacific.
3. With Hedman sidelined and Radko Gudas dealing with a lower-body injury that caused him to miss Saturday's game, the Lightning recalled D Luke Witkowski from Syracuse.