Lightning captain Steven Stamkos forced to leave Saturday's game (video)

The Tampa Bay Lightning are in the midst of a tough stretch and in their last nine games, the team has a record of 2-4-3, but things could get a lot more difficult as captain Steven Stamkos was forced to leave Saturday's game with a lower-body injury.

During the first period, Stamkos got tangled up with Joey Anderson, fell to the ice with the puck underneath him, with several Blackhawks and Lightning players trying to jam the puck loose. As Stamkos tries to get up, the 33-year-old grabbed the back of his left leg/knee and left the game.

The Lightning then announced that Stamkos won't return for the remainder of the game, which is a serious blow for the team as they look to close the gap between themselves and Toronto to get home ice in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

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