'Real possibility' Stamkos doesn't see any playoff action

Steven Stamkos was back on the ice with teammates Thursday after a couple days off, but the Tampa Bay Lightning captain couldn't say he was any closer to a return when asked whether he'd play in the postseason.

"I'm hoping to, but there's still a real possibility I may not play at all in the playoffs," Stamkos told reporters following practice.

Head coach Jon Cooper said Stamkos is still in a "holding pattern" as he remains on blood thinners following vascular surgery to treat a blood clot in April.

Though the 26-year-old wouldn't completely rule out the possibility of playing in Game 4, Joe Smith of the Tampa Bay Times notes Stamkos is "sounding more like he's realizing he may not play."

When asked how soon a decision on whether he'll play will come, Stamkos deferred, citing a lack of information on his condition.

"The thing with this situation, there's no data out there to support whether coming back earlier than the initial prognosis is safe or not, if there's elevated risks or not," he said. "I mean, it's such a unique situation and obviously not a common thing, that there's really no clinical studies to suggest.

"So there's risk management. You have to just, like I said, do your best to gather as many opinions, gather as much information as possible so you're well educated on the risks if you do come back, realizing that it's not worth the risk. So we haven't reached that stage yet."

Stamkos hasn't played since March 31.