Victor Hedman is expected to return to the lineup Wednesday night as the Tampa Bay Lightning host the Toronto Maple Leafs at Benchmark International Arena. The Lightning captain was scratched from Sweden’s quarterfinal matchup against the United States after sustaining a lower-body injury during warmups and watched the 2-1 overtime loss from the bench. He was back on the ice with Tampa Bay on Tuesday, participating fully in his first practice since returning from Milan.
“I felt I wasn’t 100%,” Hedman said. “Representing your country is more than yourself. So you’ve got to be a little unselfish, and I felt like not playing was the best for the team. I don’t think I could have played on my level in that game.”
Hedman, who waited 17 years for the opportunity to compete in the Winter Games, had hoped Sweden would advance to give him another chance to take the ice.
“It was a no-brainer for me to stay on the bench and get through that game and hopefully play the next one,” he said. “You can’t ask for anything else than the guys put on and the performance they put on.”
Now, the focus shifts squarely back to Tampa Bay and a demanding upcoming schedule to round out the regular season. The Lightning face 27 games in 50 days, with 19 coming before the end of March. They return from the break atop the Atlantic Division, riding a 19-1-1 record over their last 21 games.
“Now it's just full focus on this,” said Hedman. “We’ve got 27 games in 50 days, so there’s not a whole lot to wait for. We’ve got to get ready from the start with a divisional opponent right away, it’s going to be a lot of fun.”
All of the Lightning Olympians whose countries did not advance to the semifinal — Victor Hedman, J.J. Moser, Pontus Holmberg, Oliver Bjorkstrand and Zemgus Girgensons were back on the ice for Tuesday’s practice.
Brandon Hagel, Erik Cernak and Jake Guentzel are all expected to be available Wednesday. Guentzel flew back from Italy on Monday and returned to Tampa. He was not part of Team USA’s trip to Washington, D.C. on Tuesday, where players were invited to attend the State of the Union address.
Guentzel’s decision to stay in Tampa was to allow for rest and preparation for Wednesday’s game and the rest of the Lightning’s regular season.