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BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Given the choice, defenseman Victor Hedman and the Tampa Bay Lightning would prefer not being thrust into the position of having to once again prove theyre capable at succeeding without captain Steven Stamkos.The only real consolation is knowing the Lightning have done it before.You live in this reality now, and weve just got to have to face it, 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.Hedman spoke before the Lightning played at Buffalo, and a day after the team announced Stamkos was out indefinitely with a torn ligament in his right knee. Stamkos was hurt in the first period of a 4-3 win at Detroit on Tuesday.Later on Thursday, the Lightning announced Stamkos had surgery and was expected to miss four months as coach Jon Cooper had suggested might be the timetable earlier in the day.If we put ourselves in a position to make the playoffs, hes going go to be back, Cooper said. And thatll be better than any trade deadline acquisition than anybody else is going to get.The challenge now is for the Lightning to make the postseason without the two-time NHL scoring champion and the teams on- and off-ice leader.Youve got to take your head out of the sand, dig your heels in and march on, Cooper said. And unfortunately, this has happened to us before and the guys have found a way.The injury is the latest recent setback for the 2008 No. 1 draft pick who signed an eight-year, $68 million contract last June to remain in Tampa Bay rather than test free agencyStamkos missed the final five games of last season and all but one playoff game after having surgery to remove a blood clot near his collarbone. Tampa Bay responded by reaching the Eastern Conference finals before losing Game 7 to eventual Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh.In 2013-14, Stamkos missed 45 games with a broken right leg. The Lightning went 22-18-5 without him and still reached the playoffs before being eliminated in the first round.Cooper was a rookie head coach that season and still recalls the dread he felt when Stamkos was hurt in November 2013.The only difference this time is being able to draw upon that experience.The more youre put in the situation, unfortunately, the better equipped you are to handle it, so well see how we do, Cooper said. Yes, we are going to miss him dearly. But like Ive said, our season is not over by no means.The Lightning are off to an encouraging start. Since snapping a three-game skid, Tampa Bay has gone 5-2-1 in its past eight.Stamkos led the team with nine goals and was tied for third in the NHL with 20 points.The Lightning have plenty of talented depth on a lineup that returned the teams top 13 scorers and both goalies from last season.Its a group that includes Hedman, forward Ryan Callahan and Nikita Kucherov, who leads the team and is second in the league with 21 points (eight goals, 13 assists). And then theres third-year forward Jonathan Drouin, who was called up from the minors in April and provided the Lightning an offensive punch with five goals and 14 points in 17 playoff games.I think thats one of our strengths in how deep we are and the amount of talent we have in our lineup, Callahan said. By no means are we not going to miss (Stamkos). I mean, you lose a guy like that and its going to affect you. But the way were built, how deep we are, you can help absorb some of that.Cheap Jerseys 2020 . It was Kerbers third final of the year after losing to Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova of Russia in Monterrey in April and to Petra Kvitova of Czech Republic in Tokyo two weeks ago. The 10th-ranked German improved her record in finals to 3-5. Wholesale Jerseys Review . Two pressure cooker bombs exploded near the finish line of the April 15 race in an area packed with fans cheering the passing runners. Three people were killed and more than 260 injured, including at least 16 who lost limbs. https://www.wholesalejerseysreview.com/ . The mixed zone is not a place to make friends. Cheap Authentic Jerseys 2020 . Vokoun departed practice on Saturday morning after discovering swelling in his thigh. He was taken to a local hospital where the clot was revealed. The club announced the surgery following a 5-3 exhibition loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets. Wholesale China Jerseys Free Shipping . - The Oakland Raiders re-signed offensive lineman Khalif Barnes on Friday.Chicago Cubs?fans might be getting their first taste of bad news after the euphoria of a World Series win. Dexter Fowler says he will become a free agent.Fowler, 30, signed a one-year deal this past offseason with a mutual option with the Cubs for 2017. He apparently wont be picking up his side of the deal.Im definitely going to be a free agent, but hopefully it happens a little bit quicker than last year, Fowler said on SportsCenter on Thursday night. You cant control what goes on, but I loved my time in Chicago and Im definitely not counting them out, but well see what God has planned for us now.Last offseason, Fowler appeared to be on the cusp of signing a three-year deal with the Baltimore Orioles?but in a surprise move returned to the Cubs at the start of spring training.Saying its all up in the air how close it was in regard to the Baltimore deal, Fowler said: I think I made the right decision.dddddddddddd The Cubs came in last minute, we got something done, and it was a decision of a lifetime.If he had signed with the Orioles, I definitely wouldnt be in this position to bring back history to the Cubbies, he said.Fowler, who is a switch-hitter, was an All-Star in his second season with Chicago and led off Game 7 of the World Series with a home run. He batted .276 in 125 games in the regular season, with 13 home runs, 48 RBIs and a .393 on-base percentage.If Fowler signs elsewhere, the Cubs do have 22-year-old outfielder Albert Almora Jr.?waiting in the wings. He has proved to be a great defensive outfielder with solid offensive skills, but its unclear if he will have the consistent on-base percentage to fill Fowlers shoes in the leadoff spot. ' ' '