Tampa Bay Lightning left wing Ondrej Palat will miss three to five weeks with a lower-body injury, the team announced Monday.
The Lightning won't specify the exact nature of the injury, which Palat suffered when Wild forward Nino Niederreiter fell on Palat's left leg during Saturday's game.
"It [stinks] to be injured and not to be able to play and help the guys out," Palat told reporters Monday. "When he fell on it, it didn't feel right and I was in big pain."
The fourth-year Czech player had two goals and seven points in 16 games this season. Last season, he had 16 goals and 63 points.
"He plays all the hard minutes and all the important minutes,'' Lightning coach Jon Cooper told reporters Monday. "He's a leader in our locker room."
