Lightning lose Radko Gudas for extended period after knee surgery
TAMPA, Fla. -- The Tampa Bay Lightning received bad injury news Tuesday: Defenseman Radko Gudas will be out about four months with a right knee injury.
Gudas, 24, had arthroscopic knee surgery performed Tuesday morning, and a determination was made about his status after the operation. With the Lightning about to complete a four-game road trip, he returned to Tampa before the Lightning beat the Ottawa Senators 4-2.
If the timetable stands, Gudas could possibly return this season if the Lightning make a deep run in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
The native of Prague, Czech Republic, hurt the knee after an awkward collision with the boards in a victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs on Dec. 29 at Amalie Arena. He hasn't played since and has missed three games in the process.
This has been a difficult campaign health-wise for Gudas. He has also dealt with an unrelated lower-body injury and a stomach virus this season.
Gudas has two goals and three assists in 31 games in the 2014-15 campaign. Last Wednesday, the Lightning promoted defenseman Nikita Nesterov from the American Hockey League's Syracuse Crunch.
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