Erik Cernak injury: What happened to Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman?

The Tampa Bay Lightning suffered a major setback to defenseman Erik Cernak in Thursday's matchup against the New Jersey Devils.

The 26-year-old sustained an upper-body injury, and the team later announced that he would not return to complete the contest.

"Update: Erik Cernak has suffered an upper-body injury and will not return to tonight’s game," Lightning wrote on X.

Cernak had to be sidelined for three games in the opening week of January due to an upper-body injury. However, it is unknown as of now whether the defenseman's exit from Thursday's game was related to the same issue.

Before exiting the contest, Cernak clocked 7:58 minutes of ice time. If he misses Saturday's matchup against the Anaheim Ducks, Bolts fans could see the addition of Philippe Myers to the lineup.

This season, Cernak has played 38 games, recording five points through as many assists with a plus-minus of -3. Meanwhile, the game between the New Jersey Devils and Tampa Bay Lightning is tied at 3-3 with the third period in play.