Anton Stralman suffers non-displaced fracture of left fibula (Video)

Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Anton Stralman left his team’s Friday game against the New York Islanders with a non-displaced fracture of left fibula after his leg bent awkwardly in front of his net. He is out indefinitely. 

[Join a Yahoo Daily Fantasy Hockey contest today]

Midway through the first period Stralman and Islanders forward Anders Lee were battling for position. Stralman got tangled up with Lee and fell backwards over Lee. 

Losing Stralman for a prolonged period – especially with less than a month until the Stanley Cup Playoffs – is a big blow for the Lightning, a team with championship aspirations.

“Tough loss. Big shoes to fill,” defenseman Jason Garrison said after the game 

After years as a journeyman with the Toronto Maple Leafs, New York Rangers and Columbus Blue Jackets, the 29-year-old Stralman has played his way into a leading role with the Lightning as a top pairing defenseman with Victor Hedman. Stralman ranks second on the team in time on ice per-game at 22:20. He also  ranks second amongst Lightning blueliners with 34 points. 

Stralman is a possession-driving player with a plus-4.7 CF% Rel according to War on Ice, which makes his loss even tougher for Tampa. 

MORE FROM YAHOO HOCKEY