Coach John Cooper said Steven Stamcos would not play in Game 4 of the Stanley Cup final, but the captain of the Tampa Bay Lightning was not left out of the rest of the series.
Cooper announced Friday morning that Stamcos is “unfit to play” in Game 4 4 Lightning has a 2-1 series lead against the Dallas Stars with games 4 and 5 held on back-to-back days, Friday and Saturday.
Stamcos did not play all summer before the start of its 2020 postseason in Game 3 on Wednesday. Stamkos scored on the first shot he took while Lightning won 5-2. He became the first player in years to play his first postseason game of the year in the Stanley Cup Final.
However, the 30-year-old Stamcos took just five innings, taking a total of less than three minutes, and did not play in the second or third period. He said they were kept out because he got “an issue”. For the remaining 3 games of the game, Stamcos stayed on the bench with his teammates and snuggled up on the ice during the TV timeout.
Stamcos said after the game, “There have been a lot of behind-the-scenes things that I would love to share with you after the season.” “We’re focused on winning right now, and tonight was a step in the right direction.”
Stamcos has not played a game since February 25 and underwent surgery on March 2 to repair a core muscle injury. His expected recovery recovery timeline was six to eight weeks, but he has suffered many setbacks. Cooper said he did not expect the captain to have any ice limits when he included Stamcos in the Game 3 lineup.
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