The Tampa Bay Lightning managed to keep their season alive in Game 4 by picking up a 6-3 victory over the Florida Panthers, and they got a surprise boost to their lineup in the form of Mikhail Sergachev. After suffering a fractured tibia and fibula back on February 7th, the overarching assumption was that Sergachev would be out for the remainder of the season, but he attacked his rehab and managed to return to the ice with his team's season on the line.
Sergachev picked up an assist while also recording a hit and two blocked shots in his return to action for Tampa Bay, and his presence lit a spark under his teammates. After the game, Steven Stamkos shouted out Sergachev for pushing himself to find his way back for the Lightning, showing how fired up he was to see one of the team's top defenseman back in the fold.
Via Chris Krenn:
“Stamkos on the Sergachev return giving the Bolts a boost: ‘I kind of got chills myself just with that reception that he got. You guys don't get to see what goes on behind the scenes and the amount of work that goes into coming back from an injury like that. It's impressive. The timeline's impressive. Everything he's done is extremely impressive. To go out there and play and jump into a series when we were down and on the ropes, it was a huge boost for our team. I thought Sergy played outstanding tonight and hopefully he continues to do that because he's a big part of our defense for sure.'”
Mikhail Sergachev shares his perspective on shocking return for Lightning
Stamkos starred in the Lightning's win, as he netted two goals to force a Game 5 and keep Tampa Bay's season alive. He was all over the ice beyond those goals, though, as he racked up seven shots on goal, five hits, one block shot, and one takeaway to further make an impact on this game. Simply put, the Panthers had no answer for Stamkos, and he will be hoping to keep up the momentum moving forward.
Maybe Stamkos had more freedom to attack the Panthers with Sergachev manning the blue line, but whatever the case may be, his return seemed to kickstart Tampa Bay right when they needed it most. After the win, Sergachev was also pretty excited to be back on the ice, and he's hoping to continue to make an impact for as long as Tampa Bay's season goes on.
Via Chris Krenn:
“Mikhail Sergachev: ‘Honestly, couldn't really sleep last night. It felt like a first NHL game again. Then you go on the ice and you get that from the fans in a warmup. It made me very emotional and I'm just thankful to be here and thankful for the guys. That was huge.'”
Rallying from a 3-0 series deficit against a tough Panthers team is going to be easier said than done, but Tampa Bay took the first step towards accomplishing that by picking up a victory in Game 4. Now, they have to go back to Amerant Bank Arena and try to pick up a victory in Game 5, and after his successful outing in this win, look for Sergachev to continue to try to lead the Lightning to their second straight win.
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