Injuries are never a valid excuse for a team to lose a playoff series. Chances are the team they are playing against is just as beat up as they are. That being said, hoo boy were the Tampa Bay Lightning playing through some pretty bad things.
In his post-season address to the media, general manager Julien BriseBois detailed some of the ailments that the players were going through at the end of the season. Some we knew about, others were a surprise, and at least one was shocking in its seriousness.
Brandon Hagel – concussion
This is the least surprising of all of the injuries.