Stamkos exits with injury after awkward fall

The Tampa Bay Lightning will be hoping for the best after Steven Stamkos exited Tuesday's game in Detroit with an apparent knee injury.

Stamkos fell awkwardly after an innocent-looking collision along the boards, and could be seen clutching his right knee.

After Stamkos did not return to the bench for the second period, the Lightning announced that he exited with what they referred to as a "lower-body injury."

Stamkos had recorded his ninth goal of the season earlier in the game, moving into a tie for first in the NHL with 20 points.

Teammate Nikita Kucherov's three-point game put him one ahead of Stamkos by the end of the night.