Lightning captain Steven Stamkos may not be playing in these playoffs, but he still has a presence around the team.
Stamkos, who had vascular surgery to fix a blood clot April 4, was at the Lightning's team dinner Tuesday, the eve of the first-round series with the Red Wings. He also attended Wednesday's Game 1 victory over Detroit, watching from the lockeroom.
Stamkos is out 1-3 months following surgery, diagnosed two weeks from yesterday.
"It's just killing him not being able to play," coach Jon Cooper said. "When he was in the hospital I'm sure myself and everyone else on the team went to see him before we went on the road trip.