As per Chris Johnston of Sportsnet, Tampa Bay Lightning general manager Julien BriseBois says Steven Stamkos hasn’t been ruled out for the Stanley Cup Final. That’s the good news. The bad news is that he isn’t likely to play in Game 1.
If Stamkos ends up playing it will be interesting to see how much he contributes. The 30-year-old sniper hasn’t played a game since back in March when the regular season was paused.
Still, for head coach Jon Cooper, to have Stamkos potentially at his disposal is a plus. Whether he plays in limited minutes or just on the power play, Stamkos is a weapon that the Lightning are better to have in their lineup than not. And, considering this is the last series of the season and the NHL’s biggest prize is on the line, the Lightning need to take every advantage they can get against a very capable Dallas Stars team.
But, if Game 1 goes by and Stamkos is still questionable for Game 2 because he’s not quite ready for medical reasons, it might be best to rest him.
Stamkos Must Be Itching to Play
Stamkos joined the team on the ice and donned a jersey when the Lightning eliminated the New York Islanders on Thursday evening. He was all smiles, celebrating with his team and posing for the Eastern Confrerence Finals trophy presentation. He even helped carry the trophy back to the locker room. No doubt, he’d love to get in on the action.
The Lighting have been carried offensively by Nikita Kucherov, Brayden Point and Victor Hedman. Hedman said in a post-game interview that the team has been trying to shoot a lot more collectively knowing that one of the best scorers in the game has been out of the lineup.
In 57 games this season, Stamkos had 29 goals and 66 points. Obviously, if the Lightning can have a healthy Stamkos back, that’s a huge lift for the team.
Next: [Report] Pietrangelo Commits to Meeting With Other Teams
