Andrei Vasilevskiy eyeing return in late October

Andrei Vasilevskiy may return to the Tampa Bay Lightning lineup sooner than expected.

It was thought the 21-year-old would miss two-to-three months of action following surgery to remove a blood clot from near his left collarbone Sept. 3, but it looks like the young netminder could be back by the end of October.

"I'm feeling great," Vasilevskiy said. "Almost ready to go."

The Russian, who is set to back up Ben Bishop once again for the 2015-16 season, is still on blood thinners, restricting his ability to practice at full strength.

"Doctor said, 'Everything looks good, we just need another extra four weeks to make sure everything is okay,'" Vasilevskiy said.

He made 16 starts for the Lightning last season after being called up from the AHL in December, posting a 7-5-1 record with a shutout in his rookie campaign.