Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Mikhail Sergachev made a stunning return to the lineup as his club looked to avoid elimination in Game 4 of its first-round Stanley Cup playoff series against the Florida Panthers on Saturday.
Sergachev had been out since fracturing the tibia and fibula in his left leg on Feb. 7. The injury was so bad that Lightning coach Jon Cooper had said the Lightning would need to "go far" in the postseason to see Sergachev back in. But Tampa's top defenseman was apparently cleared for action just 80 days following that break to be a last-minute addition to the Lightning's starters on Saturday.
Having Sergachev available is exactly the boost Tampa could be looking for in a must-win game. The Lightning would be swept from the postseason with another loss to the Panthers, and Tampa Bay has struggled containing Florida's top skaters throughout the series. Even if Sergachev isn't at his best, he can have a positive impact on Tampa Bay's defensive effort as they try to slow down Matthew Tkachuk (three goals in three games) and Carter Verhaeghe (five points).
Tampa Bay spent most of the regular season without Sergachev available in a difficult year health-wise for the blueliner. Prior to breaking his leg, Sergachev had missed 17 games in the fall because of another lower-body injury. He skated in just 34 tilts total, with two goals and 17 assists.
Whatever Sergachev can offer to Tampa Bay now might swing some momentum back in their favor. The recent two-time Stanley Cup champions haven't tapped into their scoring depth or found enough ways to beat Panthers goalie Sergei Bobrovsky, their power play has been misfiring (at 16.7%) and the Lightning are tied for the second-most goals against in the postseason (11) going into Game 4.
That latter statistic is where Sergachev can do the most to help Tampa and give the Lightning a chance to extend their season another game.