Lightning’s Kucherov ‘out ... while’ with injury

Lightning star Nikita Kucherov will be out indefinitely with a lower-body injury he suffered late in the two-time defending Stanley Cup champions’ overtime win over the Capitals last weekend.

“It’s definitely not a day-to-day thing, so we’ll wait until we get an official word, but he’s definitely out,” Lightning coach Jon Cooper said after practice Monday. “He’s going to be out for a while here. We’re not going to put a timetable on it until we get an official word. In the short term here, he’s definitely out.”

Kucherov, 28, missed all of the 2020-21 regular season after undergoing hip surgery in the offseason. He returned in the playoffs to have eight goals and 24 assists to help Tampa Bay win its second consecutive Stanley Cup.

The 2019 Hart Trophy winner appeared to suffer an abdominal or groin injury chasing a puck during the third period of a 2-1 OT victory against the Caps on Saturday night.

“I’m more frustrated for him because I just know

the work it took for him to get back,” Cooper said. “He was rewarded in the end with hoisting the Stanley Cup again, but I know he was looking forward to having a big year.”

Colleges: The SEC announced that it assessed Tennessee a $250,000 fine in the aftermath of fans throwing bottles and other debris onto the field Saturday at Neyland Stadium near the end of the Vols’ 31-26 loss to Ole Miss.

NBA: Talks about a rookie contract extension between Suns and C Deandre Ayton ended ahead of the league deadline with no agreement, ESPN reported. Ayton, 23, can enter restricted free agency next summer and sign an offer sheet elsewhere that would still allow the Suns matching rights . ... Grizzlies F Jaren Jackson Jr., 22, agreed to a four-year, $105 million rookie contract extension, his agent told ESPN.

NFL: Buccaneers CB Richard Sherman will be out for a few weeks with a pulled hamstring, ESPN reported.