The captain of the Tampa Bay Lightning has received what could be a setback in his return to the ice for the 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
General manager Julien Brisebois announced Saturday that center Steven Stamkos has suffered another lower-body injury while practicing at Amalie Arena during Phase 2 of the NHL's return to play, and will not be able to participate fully as the Bolts begin Phase 3, which is training camp on their home ice.
Brisebois told the media on a conference call that Stamkos was 100 percent healthy during phase 2, but was injured again in the lower body. He did say he expects Stamkos to be ready for when round robin play begins in Toronto.
Stamkos underwent surgery on March 2 to repair a core muscle injury. The team did not say whether this new injury is related to the prior injury.
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