TAMPA, Fla. — Tampa Bay Lightning captain Steven Stamkos has a lateral meniscus tear in his right knee and will be sidelined indefinitely.

General Manager Steve Yzerman announced the diagnosis Wednesday after Stamkos returned home for further evaluation of the injury the two-time NHL scoring champion suffered Tuesday night in a 4-3 victory over the Detroit Red Wings.

“We are in the process of evaluating options for repair and rehabilitation and will release more information as it becomes available,” Yzerman said.

Stamkos, who last summer re-signed with the team that drafted him No. 1 overall in 2008 rather than testing free agency, scored his ninth goal against the Red Wings and leads the NHL with 20 points in 17 games.

The six-time All-Star center grabbed the back of his knee and limped off the ice to the dressing room after colliding with Detroit’s Gustav Nyquist along the boards.

It’s the third significant injury Stamkos has had over the past three years.

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After helping Tampa Bay reach the 2015 Stanley Cup Final, he missed all but one game of last season’s playoffs after undergoing surgery to remove a blood clot discovered near his collarbone. He also missed significant playing time three years ago, when he broke his right leg against Boston in November 2013 and was sidelined 45 games.

DEVILS: Left wing Taylor Hall had surgery on his left knee to repair a torn meniscus and will be sidelined up to a month. The team placed him on injured reserve.

Hall, who was acquired from the Oilers in an offseason deal for defenseman Adam Larsson, had five goals and seven assists in 14 games. His 12 points were tied for the team lead with defenseman Damon Severson.

Hall did not play in the Devils’ game at Dallas on Tuesday night.

FLAMES: Forward Johnny Gaudreau was scheduled to undergo surgery Wednesday for a fractured finger.

Gaudreau suffered the injury in Tuesday’s 1-0 win over Minnesota. The team said a timeline for his return will be provided in the coming days.

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“It’s his finger so it can be four (weeks), it can be six, you don’t know,” Flames Coach Glen Gulutzan said.

“For me, I’m just preparing for the worst-case scenario and that’s how it goes. But we won’t know anything on this injury until we hear from the doctors. It could be less, it could be more.”

Gaudreau left Tuesday’s game early in the third period after taking a slash to the hand.

DUCKS-PANTHERS: Anaheim acquired forward Logan Shaw from Florida in a trade for forward Michael Sgarbossa.

Sgarbossa had two assists in nine games with the Ducks after starting the season in the AHL. He has three points in 29 career NHL games with Anaheim and Colorado.

Shaw has five goals and two assists in 53 games with the Panthers. He spent most of the previous three seasons in the AHL, but appeared in three playoff games for Florida last spring.

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WEDNESDAY’S GAME

CAPITALS 7, PENGUINS 1: Nicklas Backstrom had two goals and three assists and T.J. Oshie enjoyed a four-point game as Washington broke out of a recent funk with a rout at home.

Oshie had two goals and two assists, and Alex Ovechkin, Dmitry Orlov and Justin Williams also scored for the Capitals, who had lost 3 of 4. Braden Holtby stopped 25 shots, allowing only a late goal to Phil Kessel.

The Penguins lost Stanley Cup-winning goalie Matt Murray late in the first period when teammate Evgeni Malkin accidentally hit him in the head. Murray allowed two goals on 14 shots before leaving, and Marc-Andre Fleury gave up five goals on 25 shots in relief.


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