Chat-World » ot to take your head out of the sand, dig your he

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. Nat Moore Jersey .Y. - Nelson Mandela will be honoured by the New York Yankees with a plaque in Monument Park. Dan Marino Youth Jersey .25 million option on reliever Jose Veras. http://www.dolphinsrookiestore.com/Dolphins-Jason-Taylor-Jersey/ . On June 12, just as the sun sets on the magnificent historical city of Sao Paulo the inventors, innovators and purveyors of “joga bonitowill” open their campaign. The opponent, Croatia and all its football might and will. As opposites do attract we are set for a corker of an opener. Minkah Fitzpatrick Youth Jersey . -- Washington Redskins tight end Fred Davis was charged Thursday with driving while intoxicated, a day after he was suspended for an NFL substance-abuse policy violation. Michael Deiter Dolphins Jersey . Houston won 3-0 to advance to face New York in the Eastern Conference semifinals. Last in the game, Di Vaio and Romero got into a shoving match with several Houston players. Romero appeared to elbow and kick Houston defender Kofi Sarkodie. PITTSBURGH -- Digesting the first two games of a series between the Pittsburgh Pirates and St. Louis Cardinals going into the finale Wednesday at PNC Park has it challenges for the two clubs.The Pirates are hanging onto anything they can, while the Cardinals might have to guard against doing cartwheels out of joy.Pittsburgh has lost the first two games of the series, with Tuesdays game a real heartbreaker. The Pirates fell behind by five runs, rallied for a one-run lead, then gave up three homers in the ninth to fall 9-7.It was Pittsburghs eighth loss in a row, leaving it three games under .500 at 67-70 and 5 1/2 games behind St. Louis in the chase for a National League wild-card spot, a spot that could very well be slipping away.A sweep by the Cardinals (73-64) could spell doom.Yet Pirates manager Clint Hurdle put on a double-thick pair of rose-colored glasses.I dont think well get any questions about fight and battle, he said. Thats what we do.Were going to fight. Were going to keep showing up. A lot of things went well (Tuesday) to get us back in the game to get us on top.St. Louis, by virtue of its comeback Tuesday, had similar feelings, but with the relief of a win -- its third in a row and one that kept it just a half-game behind San Francisco, which sits in the top National League wild-card spot.The Cardinals seem to be brimming with confidence.Weve got a team that I think the best way to describe it is a dangerous team, said Matt Carpenter, who hit a game-tying home run Tuesday with two outs and two strikes in the ninth.Weve ggot a team that I dont think anybody wants to match up with, especially in a postseason scenario.ddddddddddddIts a fun team to play on. We never quit, and (Tuesday) was a good example of it.St. Louis has been feasting on home runs. Carpenters homer came as a pinch-hitter, the Cardinals major league record 15th pinch-hit homer this season. The team also has a franchise-record streak of 25 games with at least one home run, which also ties the National League record set by San Diego earlier this year.What did we have? Five? manager Mike Matheny said after Tuesdays game. Yes, it was five.Thats impressive. It shows the talent level we have, taking good at-bats and not stopping.Right-hander Mike Leake (9-9, 4.56 ERA) will return from the DL after having shingles to start Wednesday for St. Louis. It will be his first start since Aug. 21 when he threw seven scoreless innings with a walk and eight strikeouts in a 9-0 win at Philadelphia.Against Pittsburgh this season, Leake is 1-2 with a 5.71 ERA.The Pirates will counter with rookie Jameson Taillon