The Tampa Bay Lightning’s defense took a hit today as promising rookie Maxwell Crozier landed on injured reserve after leaving Tuesday’s game against the Washington Capitals early.
Crozier had been on a hot streak, putting up three points in his last two games before the injury struck. He managed just 4 minutes and 27 seconds of ice time on Tuesday before heading to the locker room.
The timing couldn’t be worse for the young defenseman, who’d been finding his groove alongside Emil Martinsen Lilleberg on the Lightning’s bottom defensive pair.
To fill the roster gap, Tampa Bay called up Scott Sabourin from the minors. The move will keep Crozier sidelined for at least the next couple of days, as the IR designation is retroactive to Tuesday’s game.
The team hasn’t revealed the nature of Crozier’s injury, but his recent play had been a bright spot for the Lightning’s defense. His emergence as a reliable presence on the blue line had given the coaching staff more flexibility with their defensive pairings.
The Lightning will now have to adjust their defensive strategy as they wait for their rookie defenseman to heal up and return to the lineup.
