Ryan Callahan will play in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference final Saturday afternoon, just days after undergoing an emergency appendectomy.
The Tampa Bay Lightning forward underwent the surgery on Monday at Tampa General Hospital and missed Game 6 of the Lightning’s second-round series against the Montreal Canadiens the following day.
Callahan’s return against the New York Rangers would not be the first time a player has come back from an appendectomy quickly.
Callahan practiced with Tampa on Thursday, which provided potential for his series opener status.
He spent three of his eight years with the Rangers as captain, but was traded at last year’s trade deadline for veteran Martin St. Louis.
Lightning forward Brian Boyle is not playing in Game 1 after suffering an undisclosed injury.