Lightning getting lift from Stamkos

Steven Stamkos is serving as an inspiration for the Tampa Bay Lightning as the defending Eastern Conference champions attempt to make a deep playoff run without him.

The team's captain and leading scorer was back on the ice with teammates on Tuesday, participating in shooting and skating drills for the first time since undergoing surgery for a blood clot discovered near his right collarbone this month.

But Stamkos and coach Jon Cooper stressed the two-time winner of the Maurice Richard Trophy as the NHL's top goal scorer is not anywhere close to being ready to face the New York Islanders in a semifinal series that opens on Wednesday night.