Palat out 6-8 weeks with lower-body injury

Things are going from bad to worse for the sputtering Tampa Bay Lightning, as the team announced Monday that forward Ondrej Palat will miss the next six-to-eight weeks due to a lower-body injury.

Palat was seemingly injured in the third period Saturday night against the Minnesota Wild after taking a slash from defenseman Jared Spurgeon, as reported by Joe Smith of the Tampa Bay Times.

In 46 games for the Lightning this season, Palat has eight goals and 22 assists to his credit.

Palat's injury comes at a tough time for the reeling Bolts, as Tampa has lost six of its last 10 games, including a 5-2 drubbing at the hands of Minnesota on Saturday night.