Struck with another injury, chance arises for Fortier

ST. LOUIS — Gabriel Fortier woke up from a nap late Sunday afternoon in Syracuse to a phone call informing him to pack his bags and join the Tampa Bay Lightning in St. Louis for his first NHL call-up.

The 21-year-old didn’t arrive until Monday morning, having to spend Sunday in Charlotte after missing his connection due to a delayed flight in Syracuse. Hours later, he was participating in his first regular-season NHL practice, inserted into the Lightning’s second line and

Online: The Lighting game against the Blues did not end in time for this edition. Go to orlandosentinel.com/sports for full coverage. getting penalty-kill reps.

With forward Mathieu Joseph doubtful for Tuesday’s game against the St. Louis Blues, Fortier could make his NHL debut. Joseph left Sunday’s game in Minnesota after colliding with Wild forward Ryan Hartman and didn’t skate in Monday’s practice at Enterprise Center.

“You always think a little bit about it,” Fortier said when asked whether his call-up was a surprise. “But I was just playing in Syracuse. I was I was having a good start, and I was just focusing on that. So it’s nice to get the call-up, but I wasn’t really thinking about that. I was just thinking about my game in Syracuse.”

Joseph’s injury gives the Lightning three sidelined top-six forwards — including Nikita Kucherov and Brayden Point — and will offer another of the organization’s prospects an accelerated opportunity.

“No matter what, even regardless of if all the guys were healthy, you need depth,” Lightning coach Jon Cooper said. “It’s the only way it works. And so, you know, it’s a kind of that Catch-22. You have some prominent players out, but it’s also giving opportunity to other guys, so when these guys come back they’re in a better spot. We’ve just got to keep trying to munch some points.”

It’s unclear how long Joseph could miss (there was a chance the Lightning could get back defenseman Erik Cernak on Tuesday), but in Fortier the team filled Joseph’s spot with someone who plays a similar quickpaced, north/south game and can contribute on the penalty kill. Fortier had four goals and seven assists in 17 games with the Crunch.