PITTSBURGH -- When his team needed him most, Tampa Bay Lightning captain Steven Stamkos returned to the lineup for Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Thursday night at Consol Energy Center.
Stamkos, 26, has been sidelined since he had surgery to remove a blood clot near his collarbone on April 4. He hasn't played since March 31 when the clot was discovered. The original diagnosis was he would be out a minimum of at least eight weeks.
Stamkos, a center, played on the third line between Ryan Callahan and Ondrej Palat on Thursday.
His return should give his teammates a boost on and off the ice with a berth to the Stanley Cup finals at stake. Stamkos has been participating in full practices since prior to Game 2 of this series. However, he has not taken any body contact due to blood thinner medication he's on.
In order to play, Stamkos would have to be off the medication. Other than the no-contact requirement, he has had no restrictions.
Lightning coach Jon Cooper could limit Stamkos' ice time, but it's likely he will be used on the power-play unit.
In 48 career playoff games, Stamkos has 15 goals and 20 assists for 25 points, including a minus-2.
Prior to Game 7, Cooper wouldn't announce whether Stamkos would be in the lineup.
"We're preparing to put the best team possible on the ice to win Game 7," Cooper said. "There's going to be guys that cannot play. ... If Stamkos is in the lineup, it's our best foot forward, and if he's not in the lineup, it's because he wasn't eligible to play."
Either way, the Penguins are ready.
"I'm sure it would give them a boost, adding a player of his caliber," Penguins captain Sidney Crosby said Wednesday. "But regardless of what happens, it's really got to be about our game and what we need to do.
"But if he's in the lineup, it's something you have to be aware of 100 percent. We'll see what happens, but a lot of our focus has got to be putting our best game out there and seeing what that brings us. But, yeah, if he's in the lineup, we'll have to be aware of that."