Lightning coach on Hedman's apparent hand injury: 'It's unreal how these things happen'

Tampa Bay Lightning head coach Jon Cooper experienced a troubling case of déjà vu during Saturday's 4-2 win over the Vancouver Canucks.

Top defenseman Victor Hedman was forced to leave the game with an apparent hand injury after blocking a shot in the first period. He was sent home and will miss the remaining four games of the club's road trip, at the very least.

The injury comes one season after the Lightning dealt with a serious injury to superstar forward Steven Stamkos, who missed 45 games with a broken fibula.

"It's unreal how these things happen," Cooper told NHL.com. "You just feel for (Hedman). He's come out of the gate so strong, he's poised just to build on the year he had last year and now he might be sidelined here for a little bit. I really feel for him."

Hedman is tied with San Jose's Brent Burns for the scoring lead among defensemen, with three goals and four assists in five games. This comes after he finished fourth among defensemen last year, and among considerable buzz surrounding Norris Trophy consideration as soon as this season.

Radko Gudas is expected to take Hedman's spot in the lineup for the time being, and Cooper is certainly hoping the hulking defenseman doesn't miss as many games as Stamkos.