With the Tampa Bay Lightning in the Eastern Conference Final against the Pittsburgh Penguins, the question is again being asked: Will Steven Stamkos return to the lineup this series?
In early April, it was announced that Steven Stamkos would miss the next 1-3 months with a blood clot in his arm, for which he had surgery. Last week, Sportsnet’s Nick Kypreos reported on Hockey Night in Canada that Stamkos could return at some point late in the Eastern Conference final.
EASTERN CONFERENCE FINAL PREVIEW: LIGHTNING vs. PENGUINS
“The sense is that Steven Stamkos, at this point, will not be shut down,” said Kypreos. “If the Tampa Bay Lightning are lucky enough to advance, that would put [his return date] towards the latter part of the conference final, which would be two months [recovery time].”
The Lightning practiced on Wednesday, two days before the Eastern Conference final gets going, and Stamkos was out on the ice. However, he was still in the red non-contact jersey.
But there is still optimism that he will return. GM Steve Yzerman spoke to Joe Smith of the Tampa Bay Times, saying he’s “not going to rule anything out. But I can’t give you a ‘yes’ or a ‘no.’ “
As for Stamkos, he told Smith: “I feel like I can play. It’s just (getting the) word now.”
Meanwhile, both Anton Stralman and J.T. Brown returned to full practice on Wednesday.
“It’s one day at a time with those guys,” Yzerman told Smith. “But (Wednesday) was progress for sure.”
Game 1 of the Eastern Conference final is Friday at 8:00 ET in Tampa Bay. You can watch it on CBC or with Rogers Gamecentre Live.
