Tampa Bay Lightning captain Steven Stamkos?underwent surgery on the lateral meniscus tear in his right knee and is expected to miss approximately four months, the team announced on Thursday.The Lightning said Wednesday that Stamkos was out indefinitely, but coach Jon Cooper said the center would be back in time for the playoffs in April.?If we put ourselves in a position to make the playoffs, hes going to be back, Cooper said Thursday. And thatll be better than any trade deadline acquisition that anybody else is going to get.Youve got to take your head out of the sand, dig your heels in and march on. And unfortunately, this has happened to us before and the guys have found a way.TSN was first to report that Stamkos needed surgery.He left the ice in the first period against the Detroit Red Wings on Tuesday, favoring his right leg after getting tangled up with Detroits Gustav Nyquist along the boards.According to the Tampa Bay Times, Stamkos clutched the back of his right knee after the collision and stumbled as he made his way toward the Lightning locker room. He did not return and there was little in the way of updates from Cooper after the Lightnings 4-3 victory.Stamkos was off to a tremendous start to the season. His first-period goal Tuesday gave him nine goals on the season, and his 20 points are tied for third among all NHL players.Stamkos missed all but one of Tampa Bays postseason games last spring with a blood clot issue. But after signing an eight-year contract extension that pays him $8.5 million annually to remain with the Lightning, Stamkos returned in full health and played for Canada at the World Cup of Hockey.Stamkos has collected points in seven of the past nine Lightning games, and Tampa Bay is tied for second in the Atlantic Division with Ottawa with a 10-6-1 record.You live in this reality now, and weve just got to have to face it,?defenseman Victor Hedman?said Thursday. Itll be a good test for us. But at the same?time, we know we can handle it, and we know we can win hockey games even though were going to miss him.Information from ESPNs Scott Burnside was used in this report. Vinny Curry Jersey . -- Bobby Ryan helped the U. Ryan Jensen Jersey .25 million option on reliever Jose Veras. http://www.cheapbuccaneersjerseysonline.com/?tag=bryan-anger-jersey-online .com) - The Pittsburgh Penguins placed forward James Neal on injured reserve Tuesday. Brent Grimes Jersey . -- Devin Hester is done returning kicks in Chicago. DeVante Harris Jersey . -- Cam Newton pranced into the end zone, placed his hands over his chest and did his familiar Superman pose. NEW YORK -- A look at Fridays in the $46.3 million U.S. Open tennis championships:WEATHER: Mix of sun and clouds, hot and humid. High of 89. An evening shower forced the roof to close during the Wawrinka-Nishikori match.ATTENDANCE: 23,771RESULTS (Mens Semifinals): No. 1 Novak Djokovic reached his sixth Grand Slam final in the last seven tournaments, defeating No. 10 Gael Monfils 6-3, 6-2, 3-6, 6-2. Djokovic, a two-time U.S. Open champion, will defend his title Sunday against No. 3 Stan Wawrinka. Wawrinka advanced to his third Grand Slam final, defeating 2014 U.S. Open runner-up Kei Nishikori 4-6, 7-5, 6-4, 6-2.ON COURT SATURDAY: Womens Singles Final: No. 2 Angelique Kerber vs. No. 10 Karolina Pliskova; Mens Doubles Final: No. 4 Jamie Murray and Bruno Soares vs. Pablo Carreno Busta and GGuillermo Garcia-Lopez.ddddddddddddTAT OF THE DAY: 53 -- Percentage of service games (9-of-17) won by Gael Monfils in his loss to Novak Djokovic. He entered the match winning 92 percent during the tournament.QUOTE OF THE DAY: First question is, like, `Youre not competing? ... Yes, Im competing. I made a sign to my coach (to) say, `OK, Im going to Plan B. -- Gael Monfils, who appeared to feign indifference in an attempt to lull Novak Djokovic into mistakes.SATURDAY ON TV (All Times EDT): 4-7 p.m., ESPNON THIS DATE (Sept. 10, 1994): Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario beats Steffi Graf 1-6, 7-6 (3), 6-4 to become the only Spanish woman to capture a U.S. Open singles title. Cheap Soccer Jerseys Authentic Wholesale Hockey Jerseys Nike NFL Jerseys China Cheap Nike MLB Jerseys China Wholesale Baseball Jerseys China Wholesale College Jerseys Cheap Jerseys From China Wholesale Jerseys Near Me Cheap Jerseys Online Cheap NFL Jerseys Authentic Cheap Nike NFL Jerseys Authentic Cheap Soccer Jerseys China Cheap NCAA Jerseys Authentic Cheap Nike NBA Jerseys Cheap NHL Jerseys Authentic MLB Jerseys China Cheap Jerseys From China Cheap NFL Throwback Jerseys Cheap Nike NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys China ' ' '