Stamkos has 'good chance' of playing for Lightning in Cup Qualifiers

Steven Stamkos participated in a full practice with the Tampa Bay Lightning in Toronto on Monday and is expected to play in the Stanley Cup Qualifiers.

"Having a good chance of playing hopefully a couple of games in the round-robin and getting into the full (Stanley Cup) playoffs, I probably wouldn't have had that opportunity (if the season weren't paused)," the forward said. "… It gave me a chance to get as healthy as possible and be ready for Game 1."

Stamkos, who did not participate in training camp, has been recovering from a lower-body injury sustained during voluntary workouts. He participated in power-play drills and individual skating during the first week of training camp but opted to skate with a group of call-ups rather than his teammates during the second week of camp.

"I'm feeling good, [it] was nice to get back with the guys and have fun being out there," Stamkos said. "It's kind of a day-by-day thing. I've been progressing. I had the (core muscle) surgery in March. This is kind of the ups and downs of a rehab. Definitely the best I've felt was today on the ice."

Stamkos had surgery March 2 and missed the final five games before the NHL season was paused March 12 due to concerns surrounding the coronavirus. He was second on the Lightning with 66 points (29 goals, 37 assists) in 57 games behind Nikita Kucherov (85 points; 33 goals, 52 assists in 68 games).

"Anytime you have a surgery there's going to be things that are certainly connected with one another," he said. "There was a stretch for 4-5 weeks when I was skating when I was feeling really good, obviously there was no contact and no game-like situations during that time so I was feeling good. Then I hit a little rut. Definitely all related but it's certainly feeling a lot better now.

"I chalk it to the ups and downs of going through a rehab, especially a rehab in these times where it was difficult to navigate when coronavirus hit. Things were shut down and it was tough at the beginning, but like I said before, this is the best I've felt."

Stamkos will not play in an exhibition game against the Florida Panthers at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, the Eastern Conference hub city, on Wednesday (Noon ET; NHLN, FS-F, SUN, NHL.TV). The Lightning will play the Washington Capitals (Aug. 3), Boston Bruins (Aug. 5) and Philadelphia Flyers (Aug. 8) in the round-robin portion of the qualifiers to determine seeding for the playoffs from the Eastern Conference.

"Today he went through full reps and I know he felt really well afterward," Lightning coach Jon Cooper said. "Let's see how he feels tomorrow. We've got a little bit more time on our hands, but part of this process is to have him involved in some, one, three, two…whatever it is…round-robin games and that's what we're working for."

A healthy Stamkos would provide a boost to the Lightning's offense and power play. Stamkos led the team with 10 power-play goals and was third with 19 power-play points behind Kucherov (25) and defenseman Victor Hedman (22).

"He's a big part of our power play and plays on one of our top lines," Cooper said. "When he comes back, we expect him to fall back in that role. He's an extremely talented player that can put the puck in the net. He's our captain."