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Report: Callahan has emergency appendectomy, out for Game 6

Tampa Bay Lightning v Montreal Canadiens - Game One

Ryan Callahan

NHLI via Getty Images

The Lightning need just one more victory to eliminate Montreal and advance to the Eastern Conference Final, but the Canadiens have the momentum after winning two straight games. Before Tampa Bay’s fight to avoid the embarrassment of suffering a reverse sweep continues, the team reportedly got some bad news tonight.

Forward Ryan Callahan is having an emergency appendectomy. It’s not clear how long he’ll be sidelined for as a result, but he won’t play in Game 6 on Tuesday, per the Tampa Bay Times’ Joe Smith.

Update: Callahan underwent surgery at 9:00 p.m. ET and is in stable condition after the procedure, according to Joe Smith

Callahan, 30, has three assists and a team-high plus-seven rating in 12 playoff games. He’s averaged 18:17 minutes per contest, including an average of 3:00 minutes with the man advantage.

While he isn’t a prolific scorer for the Lightning, he has been one of their most physical forwards with 42 hits and the team has performed better in the playoffs from a Corsi perspective when he’s on the ice compared to when he’s not. He also ranks third among Tampa Bay forwards with nine blocked shots.

Losing Callahan is a significant blow for Tampa Bay and will test its depth. After being a healthy scratch in Game 5, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Jonathan Drouin be reinserted into the lineup.

Nick Schultz had an emergency appendectomy on the eve of the 08 playoffs for #mnwild. Missed 5 games. @erlendssonTBO @TBTimes_JSmith

— Michael Russo (@Russostrib) May 12, 2015

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