Mikhail Sergachev’s baby boy arrives just ahead of Lightning’s playoff start

The end of the regular season brought a special arrival for Lightning defenseman Mikhail Sergachev.

Sergachev had been awaiting the birth of his first child for about a week. He returned to Tampa while the Lightning were ending their last road trip of the season ahead of the April 8 game in Ottawa.

His wife, Liza, went into labor the night before the Lightning’s regular-season finale at home against Detroit on Thursday.

Sergachev spent the day of the game by his wife’s bedside at St. Joseph’s Women’s Hospital in Tampa. But as morning turned into afternoon, game time drew near and still no baby.

“She wanted me to play because she felt bad that I wasn’t playing because of her,” Sergachev said. “I was trying to calm her down, but she was like, ‘You have to go and play.’ "

Sergachev played that night, his phone left with a trainer in case he needed to get to the hospital.

He had two assists, including one on Brayden Point’s 50th goal of the season, and recorded 21:17 of ice time in the 5-0 win that snapped the Lightning’s four-game losing streak in time for the postseason.

“I just stayed until the end of the game, and ‘Pointer’ scored his 50th, and I was really happy about that, and it was fan appreciation night, so it was really important for me to be there,” Sergachev said. “At the same time, I didn’t miss anything.”

The following morning, around 4 a.m., the Sergachevs became parents, welcoming Fedor. He arrived on a Lightning off day and well before the team departed for the beginning of its first-round playoff series against the Maple Leafs, which starts Tuesday in Toronto.

“I’m just glad everybody’s healthy and it’s out of the way now,” coach Jon Cooper said. “This would have been a little bit tougher situation had it gone on actually during the playoffs, but it’s a good hockey family. Good timing.”

Two months shy of his 25th birthday, Sergachev is one of the youngest players in the locker room though he has just completed his sixth full NHL regular season. He already has 92 playoff games and two Stanley Cup titles to his credit.

In a locker room full of veteran players with families, Sergachev can now add another title to his resume: Dad.

“I remember guys talking about it,” Sergachev said, “And that kind of didn’t get me excited because it’s like, ‘Whatever, it’s your experience.’ But now that I experienced that, I understand what they were talking about. It’s amazing what it brings out of people, emotions and the love.

“My wife, she was holding (Fedor recently) at 2:30 at night, just to hold him. She could have put him to bed. Just the sight of it, I’ve never seen or watched something like that before.”

Going into this season, the Lightning were counting on Sergachev to take the next step in his game. With defenseman Ryan McDonagh gone in an offseason trade, he was expected to play more important minutes. Around midseason, he assumed the quarterbacking role on the first power-play unit, and he ended the season with career highs in assists (54) and points (64) overall.

Sergachev is his own biggest critic. When he missed two games in mid-December after blocking a shot, he went back to look at some of the games in which he thought he hadn’t played well. He came into this season experimenting with his stick-blade angle, and he constantly is honing his shot.

“That’s what you want, a guy that cares about his game,” forward Nikita Kucherov said. “(Sergachev is) good, man. He’s going to be really good. He’s just getting better. So it’s just fun to see the guy do it all.”

Sergachev said he has learned from mentor Victor Hedman, who is in his 14th year in the league. “Sometimes (Hedman) gets four points, sometimes he’s minus-4, and every day he comes in and he does the same thing,” Sergachev said.

Sergachev knows that the mistakes he makes in the defensive zone end up being glaring, but this season he has focused on not trying to make plays that aren’t there and that lead to turnovers.

“I’ve just got to chill sometimes. I don’t have to make plays all the time,” he said. “I’ve had the ups and downs for stretches. I want to get rid of those stretches. I just wanted to be consistent and consistently good, even if I’m not providing points.”

He also is learning on the fly that new parents get little rest.

“(Friday) night, (Fedor) was crying at like 2:30, 1:30 in the morning, and it was like the fifth time that he woke up in like two hours. I just go to sleep, I wake up, I go to sleep and wake up, and I’m really tired,” he said. “And every time I wake up, I’m (angry at first), then I get up and look at him, and I’m like (so happy). That’s the best way to explain. Just pure unconditional love.

“It’s experiencing emotions that I’ve never had. And I can’t really compare it to anything.”

Contact Eduardo A. Encina at eencina@tampabay.com. Follow @EddieintheYard.

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