Injury updates are frequently “glass half-empty/half-full” propositions, but the playoffs tend to magnify that optimism vs. pessimism.
With that in mind, Sunday’s injury updates for the Tampa Bay Lightning could be seen as a stream of positive news ... or a lot of teasing.
The general feeling is that there were at least baby steps in the right direction.
Most importantly, or at least most hopefully, Steven Stamkos participated in full gear and even spent some time during various drills (including some penalty kill practice).
The half-empty part is that nothing major really changed beyond that positive sign:
Cooper indicated Stamkos still in "holding pattern" #TBLightning
— Joe Smith (@JoeSmithNHL) May 15, 2016
The Lightning need to practice due diligence with Stamkos, after all.
Really, the more tangibly positive news might just be that Anton Stralman’s return could be looming.
#TBLightning Cooper said Stralman is getting closer, now day to day. Doesn't look like he ever got hurt. Not favoring anything.
— Joe Smith (@JoeSmithNHL) May 15, 2016
While he didn’t practice this morning, there’s at least a chance Ben Bishop could play for Tampa Bay against Pittsburgh in Game 2 on Monday.
Cooper said Bishop not ruled out for Game 2, still day-to-day. #TBLightning
— Bryan Burns (@BBurnsNHL) May 15, 2016
(Still remarkable.)
Also, Tyler Johnson appears to be fine after that knee-to-knee hit with Chris Kunitz.
Looking at the above updates, maybe it would be more accurate to say that the glass is three-quarters-full?