Tampa Bay Lightning star Nikita Kucherov will be in the lineup for Game 7 against the New York Islanders, per the team’s official game sheet.
Kucherov, the leading scorer in the playoffs, missed the majority of Wednesday’s Game 6 with an undisclosed injury and did not participate in an optional morning skate on Friday. Earlier in the day, Lightning head coach Jon Cooper had said he was “not sure” if Kucherov would be able to return.
But the 2019 Hart Trophy winner participated in warmups before Game 7, and took line rushes alongside Brayden Point and Ondrej Palat, apparently showing enough to return to the lineup for the series-deciding tilt.
Kucherov missed the entire regular season after having off-season hip surgery. Since returning in Game 1 of Round 1 against the Florida Panthers, he has looked like his old self, scoring five goals and 27 points in 22 games.
Defenceman Erik Cernak, who had missed the last two games with an upper-body injury but did skate on Friday morning, will also make his return to the lineup.
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