Victor Hedman, Brayden Point among Tampa Bay Lightning players who dealt with injuries in playoffs

Point played in all six games, scoring two goals and four points to finish second behind Nikita Kucherov in team scoring. Victor Hedman had three assists in five games, but missed the second game with what was described as an undisclosed injury at the time.

Jeannot, the team’s high-cost trade acquisition at the deadline, played in just three games, failing to register a point. He had just four points in 23 games during the regular season after being acquired for five draft picks, including a 2025 first-rounder and three selections in 2023.

Cernak played just 9:27 of Game 1 before getting hit illegally by Michael Bunting. Bunting was suspended three games and didn’t return to the lineup until Game 6. Cernak’s absence left a huge hole on Tampa’s blueline, with his physical, defensive-minded play not being suitably replaced.

Eyssimont had two points in three games or the Lightning, all coming in Game 5 to help the Lightning stay alive. A depth forward, it was Eyssimont’s first playoff action in a year that saw him suit up with the Winnipeg Jets, San Jose Sharks, Tampa Bay and the AHL’s Manitoba Moose.

It’s common for the Lightning, like many other teams, to reveal the full extent of injuries during the postseason. Last year, Pierre-Eduard Bellemare, Anthony Cirelli, Nikita Kucherov, Nick Paul, Corey Perry, Point and Ryan McDonagh were revealed to have played through injuries at some point during the playoffs. In 2021, the team’s second Cup in a row, Hedman played the entire playoffs with a torn meniscus.