After missing two months due to a fractured tibia and fibula, Lightning defenseman Mikhail Sergachev was back with his team on Saturday night.
If you've been here a while, you know Saturday night was classic Tampa Bay Lightning hockey. The return of defenseman Mikhail Sergachev in Game Four, brought everyone in Amalie Arena to their feet and sparked momentum for Tampa Bay in a must-win game.
After suffering two broken bones in his leg just 80 days ago, Sergachev recorded 17:03 of ice time, had one hit, two shot attempts, chirped the Panthers bench and had an assist to Brandon Hagel.
“I tell the guys all the time, you can’t re-write history, you can only make history,” Lightning coach Jon Cooper said before the game.
Sergachev was told on Friday that he had been cleared by doctors to play on Saturday, but it was ultimately it was up to Coach Cooper whether or not he would play.
"You can tell when a player is ready and when a player is not ready,” said Cooper. “Yesterday, we knew he was ready. I just wanted to check the box today when he showed up. I've seen it time and time again. It's the look in the eye. He was a believer."
Going into Game 4 down 3-0 in the series, the Lightning needed a spark and Sergachev’s return provided that. All year they've been a team that plays best when their backs are up against the wall.
Apr 27, 2024; Tampa, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Lightning left wing Anthony Duclair (10), defenseman Victor Hedman (77), center Brayden Point (21) and teammates celebrate after they beat the Florida Panthers in game four of the first round of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Amalie Arena. "I want to thank Stammer actually because he broke his leg and Mikey, our trainer, was showing me videos of Stammer skating like four weeks after,” the star defenseman said after the game.
“That kind of pushed me and made me work because the first four weeks since the injury, it was tough, mentally. But seeing those videos of him walking pretty much the next day and doing all that stuff kind of helped."
The blue line has been battling injuries all year, with Darren Raddysh being the most recent player unable to suit up last night. Max Crozier stepped in for Nick Perbix on the third pair with Emil Lilleberg and Sergachev was back on a pairing with Erik Cernak.
"I kind of got chills myself just with that reception that he got,” said Lightning captain Steven Stamkos. “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.”
After grabbing a 6-3 victory, the Lightning will head down to Sunrise for another must-win Game 5 on Monday night.