Bolts learn scope of injuries to Erik Cernak and Mitchell Stephens

The Tampa Bay Lightning got a little more clarity on the injury statuses of defenseman Erik Cernak and center Mitchell Stephens on Monday.

Lightning head coach Jon Cooper said following the Bolts' loss in Columbus Saturday he didn't expect Stephens to come back anytime soon, and Monday it was announced the 23 year old suffered a lower-body injury and is out indefinitely.
Stephens had his legs tangled with David Savard as Savard pulled him down to the ice from behind in the third period of the 5-2 loss. Stephens couldn't put any weight on his right leg as he was being helped off by Lightning head athletic trainer Tom Mulligan and Victor Hedman and went immediately to the locker room.
Stephens recorded his first point of the season earlier in the contest when he assisted on Hedman's game-opening goal.
Cernak, meanwhile, is listed as day-to-day with an upper-body injury. He was driven hard into the boards by Columbus' Nick Foligno in the first period and then appeared to lose an edge chasing a puck into the offensive zone moments later, helicoptering along the ice into the wall. He skated just five shifts and 3:24 time on ice toal before exiting the game for good.

Cooper said Cernak is "questionable" for Thursday's contest in Carolina, provided the contest is played as scheduled.
"We've got a couple days here, the benefit of not having the games stacked on each other right now so we'll get a little bit of time, but I'd call him questionable right now," Cooper said.
With Stephens out likely for an extended period, Mathieu Joseph took over as the fourth line center between Patrick Maroon and Alexander Volkov during Tampa Bay's practice Monday at the TGH Ice Plex. Gemel Smith from the taxi squad also took some reps with the fourth line.
Cooper said with the Lightning's salary cap limitations, some players might have to step into roles they're unfamiliar with when injuries arise, such as the one to Stephens.
"Injuries happen during the year and other guys have to step in, but Jo, he played a little center in junior," Cooper said of moving Joseph from wing to center. "It's no different than (Carter) Verhaeghe last year. He played in the middle at the beginning of the year, and it's just you need to find your game to help your team win. And whether you're playing 10 minutes or 20, know your role, know what's expected of you and do it to the best of your abilities and that's what our guys have taken a great approach."
PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT: The Lightning learned they'd get more practice time Monday morning with the announcement their game Tuesday in Carolina had been postponed until February 22 because of the Hurricanes' COVID-19 issues.
Additionally, the previously scheduled game between Tampa Bay and Carolina for February 22 was moved to February 24, and a matchup between the Lightning and Florida Panthers on February 16 was moved up a day to February 15 to help accommodate.
With no game Tuesday, the Lightning will hold another practice session at the TGH Ice Plex before traveling to Raleigh Wednesday in hopes that Thursday's game against the Hurricanes can still be played.

"Practices are going to be very beneficial for us because the schedule, especially now that we've missed some games, there aren't going to be a lot of practice times this year," Lightning captain Steven Stamkos said. "You're going to get into situations where we're playing every other day pretty much. So we need to take advantage of that whether it's working on some of our structure things that just need refreshers or special teams, obviously they play a big key in games too. There's so many things that are out of our control. We play two games and we're off a week. Already another game rescheduled. It's going to be like that all year, I think. We've just got to be diligent in our part as a team to make sure we're staying ready and staying safe and utilize these practices while we can."
The Lightning have played four games this season but have already had three games postponed and rescheduled. A pair of contests against the Dallas Stars at AMALIE Arena January 17 and 19 had to be pushed back because of COVID issues in the Stars' training camp.
"Probably not ideal but gives you a little practice time up front when we need it," Cooper said. "The key is let's make sure we get our game down pat so when we get to February and March when we can't practice, we know what we're doing. There is a benefit I guess to what's happening here, the only problem is we're just not getting into any sort of rhythm, and, believe it or not, the players want a rhythm even if it is back-to-backs thrown in there. We're used to playing 12 or 14 back-to-backs a year. So, it's not uncommon, it's just more the prepping your body and moving forward in how we want to run our itinerary in how we can best succeed, and then when that changes, we've got to adapt."
CITY OF CHAMPIONS: On Sunday, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers completed the Bay Area sweep of teams reaching title games by qualifying for the Super Bowl following a 31-26 victory over the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field.
The Buccaneers joined the Stanley Cup-winning Lightning and the Tampa Bay Rays, who advanced to the World Series before losing to the Los Angeles Dodgers, as local pro teams to reach their league's respective championship game this season. And don't forget about the Tampa Bay Rowdies, who were crowned Eastern Conference Champions but saw the USL Championship cancelled due to multiple players and staff from the Rowdies testing positive for COVID prior to the final.
Steven Stamkos showed off his Buccaneers fandom on Twitter Sunday, posting a picture in a Tom Brady jersey next to his dog Trigger. After the Bucs win, he posted, in part: "A Super Bowl championship in Tampa would be a great birthday present for me this year."
Stamkos said when he was a rookie with the Lightning during the 2008-09 season, the Rays went to the World Series and Tampa hosted the Super Bowl.

Watching the success of all the local teams has brought him back full circle.
"At the end of the day, we're all sports fans," Stamkos said. "I grew up playing all those sports as a kid. You kind of dreamed you could be a professional athlete in a different sport too, so I watch those guys. I admire them. They're inspiring for us as athletes to watch what they have to go through in order to achieve their dreams. When it's locally and especially in an area where I've been a part of for such a long time, it's really exciting."
Stamkos said the one downfall of all the winning the Bay Area has experienced, starting with the Lightning hoisting the Stanley Cup in late September, is the fans haven't been able to watch the teams' playoff runs in person.
"It's been amazing to watch and obviously to be part of," Stamkos said. "This city is very deserving of that. We have very loyal fan bases, and it's a great sports town. We've seen really everything come together this year with four major sports teams making it to the final. It's really fun to be a part of that. Hopefully the Bucs can win one more and we can celebrate again."
Jon Cooper joked with all of the Lightning's rescheduled games, he was hoping one more could be postponed. The Lightning are scheduled to play in Nashville Monday, February 8 and will have to depart Tampa for Music City on Super Bowl Sunday.
"There's a sense of pride of being from Tampa," Cooper said. "When the team is representing your city so well, it's great for so many different ways, just for morale, especially in a time like this. So congratulations to them…Proud to be a resident of Tampa and real excited to watch them play in two weeks."