St. Louis Listed as a Game-Time Decision
St. Louis returned to practice over the past week and looks like he could play tonight according to TBO’s Erik Erlendsson, via Twitter. While the superstar left the ice with the rest of the team and went through his usual pregame rituals, coach Guy Boucher is not expecting to have him in the lineup.
Nevertheless, the former ironman will be a game-time decision for tonight’s tilt so stay tuned for a further update on his status.
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UPDATE 12/13/11: According to Damian Cristodero of TampaBay.com, via Twitter, Martin St. Louis still has no timetable for his return. The veteran cannot begin the recovery process until the blood drains from his eye. Sounds like the iron man will not step back onto the ice until at least mid-January.
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St. Louis will not play tonight, breaking his consecutive game streak at 499 games. Here’s the official press release:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 8, 2011
TAMPA BAY – Tampa Bay Lightning right wing Martin St. Louis will not play tonight’s game at the New York Rangers and he is out indefinitely after suffering facial and nasal fractures at the team’s morning skate today at Madison Square Garden. St. Louis was struck in the face by a puck shot by a teammate during a practice drill.
St. Louis will return to Tampa Bay immediately and will undergo further medical examination by Lightning team physicians when swelling subsides in and around his left eye. A more detailed determination on his return to the lineup will be made at that time.
~BE THE THUNDER~
Remember to keep him out of your lineup.
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This morning, it was announced that Tampa Bay Lightning forward Martin St. Louis would play his 500th career game. The ironman played through a root canal, broken teeth and various day-to-day ailments but is questionable tonight following practice. His teammate, Dominic Moore, struck the alternate captain with an errant shot, hitting him directly in the eye.
St. Louis immediately left the ice after noticeably bleeding and was rushed to the NYU Medical Center. At this point, the prognosis does not look good. From TBO.com:
“He’s got some swelling and that’s all I know right now,” Yzerman said.
Since returning from a broken leg at the end of the 2001-02 season, St. Louis has appeared in 749 of a possible 751 games and currently holds the third longest active games played streak in the NHL behind Calgary’s Jay Bouwmeester and Vancouver’s Henrik Sedin.
That streak is expected to end tonight.
“We’ll see what the extent of it is, but right now it doesn’t look pretty,” Lightning head coach Guy Boucher. “It just keeps on pouring. We have to prepare as if he’s not going to be available.”
Expect a further update from the team on his status.