Lightning get Stamkos back; Vasilevskiy's recovery on schedule

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Tampa Bay Lightning captain Steven Stamkos is set to rejoin the lineup and goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy remains on target to be back in late November or early December.

Stamkos took part in the morning skate and will play in Thursday night’s game against the Vancouver Canucks after missing two games with an undisclosed lower body injury, according to coach Jon Cooper.

Stamkos enters Thursday’s game 40th on the NHL career goal list with 517.

Vasilevskiy had a microdiscectomy to address a lumbar disk herniation three weeks ago.

“The schedule hasn’t changed,” Cooper said. “He’s a workaholic in how he prepares and how he looks after his body. So, sometimes you have to pull the reins back a little on him and just let nature take its course and your body takes its course. Everything is going according to plan.”

Vasilevskiy won the Vezina Trophy in 2019 as the league’s top netminder and the Conn Smythe Trophy in 2021 as playoff MVP.

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