Cooper dodges questions about Stamkos' Game 7 status

Tampa Bay Lightning head coach Jon Cooper isn't tipping his hand about whether Steven Stamkos will play in Game 7 against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Thursday night.

Speculation swirled after TVA's Renaud Lavoie reported Stamkos boarded the early bus to the arena with his teammates, but Cooper refused to confirm it either way.

"Before we get going, there's a lot more people here than normal, don't ask about the lineup at all, because I don't know," Cooper told reporters before any questions were asked at Thursday's pregame media availability.

The media proceeded to ask about the lineup anyway, specifically the status of the Lightning captain.

"We're preparing to put the best team possible on the ice to win Game 7," Cooper said.

"This is the top couple games of our careers as a group together, and we're going to put our best foot forward. And 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."

Stamkos has been out of the lineup since March 31 after having vascular surgery to treat a blood clot condition.

He took part in Thursday's optional skate, as he's done frequently in the playoffs, but Stamkos said after that session that his status hadn't changed.