Steven Stamkos made a surprise return to the Tampa Bay Lightning lineup for Game 7 of their Eastern Conference finals series against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Thursday night.
The Lightning captain and No. 1 center had blood clot surgery on April 4 and wasn’t able to play in any of his team’s playoff games until Thursday. He last played March 31, and the original diagnosis was that he’d miss one to three months after the surgery.
Stamkos started the game on the second line with Ondrej Palat and Ryan Callahan. Stamkos has tallied 35 points (15 goals, 20 assists) in 48 career playoff games.
Thumbnail photo via Kim Klement/USA TODAY Sports Images
