Victor Hedman sustained a lower-body injury during pregame warmups Wednesday and was ruled out of the quarterfinal matchup between Sweden and the United States at the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina. Hedman [https://www.nhl.com/lightning/player/victor-hedman-8475167] remained on the bench during the game in support of his teammates. The Lightning captain missed 22 games this season after undergoing elbow surgery in December. He returned to the lineup for three games prior to the Olympic break, including the NHL Stadium Series matchup on Feb. 1 against the Boston Bruins, followed by games against the Buffalo Sabres and Florida Panthers. The Lightning have dealt with a revolving door of injuries on the blue line this season. On Wednesday, the team announced defenseman Max Crozier will miss approximately 10 weeks after undergoing surgery to repair a core muscle injury. Sweden must win to advance in the tournament. Hedman has a goal and an assist at the Olympics while averaging 18:42 of ice time per game.
