TAMPA, Fla. (CBSNewYork/AP) — Steven Stamkos is serving as an inspiration for the Tampa Bay Lightning as the defending Eastern Conference champions attempt to make a deep playoff run without him.
The team’s captain and leading scorer was back on the ice with teammates Tuesday, participating in shooting and skating drills for the first time since undergoing surgery for a blood clot discovered near his right collarbone this month.
Stamkos and coach Jon Cooper, however, stressed the two-time Maurice Richard Trophy winner is not anywhere close to being ready to face the New York Islanders in a second-round series that begins Wednesday night.