Lightning vs Blackhawks

CHICAGO -- Tampa Bay Lightning goaltender Ben Bishop took the morning skate Wednesday and was in the starter's net, but his status for Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final against the Chicago Blackhawks (8 p.m. ET; NBCSN, CBC, TVA Sports) remains up in the air.

If that sounds familiar to the situation prior to the Lightning's 3-2 win in Game 3 on Monday, that's because it is.

"I think we're in the same holding pattern as we were 48 hours ago," Lightning coach Jon Cooper said.

Bishop spoke to the media following the skate and did not have more to offer on the likelihood he would play, even though all signs pointed to him starting the game.

CHICAGO --  Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Johnny Oduya is likely to play in Game 4 of the 2015 Stanley Cup Final at United Center on Wednesday (8 p.m. ET; NBCSN, CBC, TVA Sports), but there are changes coming to the lineup.

Defenseman Kyle Cumiskey will be replaced by 40-year-old veteran Kimmo Timonen, and  forward Kris Versteeg will re-enter the lineup to play left wing on the second line in place of Bryan Bickell. Versteeg played the first two games of the series when Bickell had vertigo, but was a healthy scratch for Game 3 on Monday.

"We wanted [Bickell] in Game 3, gave him an opportunity to get in," Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville said. "I don't think [Versteeg] deserved to come out. I think he gives us a threat offensively, [he's] defensively aware, [and has] strength in the puck area. He can make some plays. I think he can add to some of our offense."

CHICAGO – Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Johnny Oduya has an upper-body injury and his status is unknown for Game 4 of the 2015 Stanley Cup Final at United Center on Wednesday (8 p.m. ET; NBCSN, CBC, TVA Sports).

Oduya apparently sustained the injury at some point during the Blackhawks' 3-2 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 3 on Monday, when his ice time was significantly reduced in the second and third periods.

Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville was asked Tuesday about Oduya's status and whether there might be any lineup changes for Game 4 in relation to it.

CHICAGO -- After playing 11 shifts and 7:37 in the first period, Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Johnny Oduya played five shifts in the second and seven in the third in a 3-2 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final at United Center on Monday.

Oduya left the game after his final shift of the second with 7:44 left in the period and didn't return until the third. He played a total of 16:47.

Asked about Oduya's status after the loss, Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville made it sound as though there might be an injury.

"We'll see [Tuesday] how he presents," Quenneville said.

CHICAGO -- Tampa Bay Lightning goaltender Ben Bishop took part in the morning skate Monday ahead of Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final (8 p.m. ET; NBCSN, CBC, TVA Sports), but neither coach Jon Cooper nor Bishop himself would confirm he was starting against the Chicago Blackhawks.

Bishop was the first goalie off the ice and was in the road team's net for the skate while Andrei Vasilevskiy was in the home net, which are usually indications Bishop would start.

Bishop held a news conference to discuss his status for Game 3 and said nothing about whether he will play.

"We'll see," Bishop said when asked if he felt well enough to play Monday.

CHICAGO -- The Chicago Blackhawks have some lineup changes coming for Game 3 of the 2015 Stanley Cup Final against the Tampa Bay Lightning at United Center on Monday (8 p.m. ET; NBCSN, CBC, TVA Sports).

If things stay as they were during line rushes at the morning skate:

* Captain Jonathan Toews and right wing Patrick Kane will be split onto the top two lines, with Toews staying at center on the top line and Kane going back to his more familiar spot on the right wing of the second line.

* Power forward Bryan Bickell, who missed the first two games because of vertigo, will return to action at left wing on the second line.

* Rookie defenseman Trevor van Riemsdyk will play an NHL game for the first time since he was sidelined Nov. 16 by a fractured left patella, making his Stanley Cup Playoffs debut as either the fifth or sixth defenseman.

CHICAGO -- Chicago Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville said Sunday that he is at least contemplating changes to his lineup for Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final on Monday at United Center (8 p.m. ET; NBCSN, CBC, TVA Sports).

Quenneville said defenseman Trevor van Riemsdyk and forward Bryan Bickell could play for the first time in the best-of-7 series against the Tampa Bay Lightning, which is tied 1-1. He did not elaborate any further or speculate on who would come out of the lineup if they did play.

Bickell was a surprise scratch in Game 1 on Wednesday after practicing the day before and taking part in the morning skate. Quenneville said after the game that Bickell was dealing with an upper-body injury and he is day-to-day. He was also scratched in Game 2 on Saturday.

"I think he's healthy," Quenneville said.

TAMPA -- Tampa Bay Lightning forward Jonathan Drouin played 7:52 in his Stanley Cup Final debut, a 4-3 win against the Chicago Blackhawks in Game 2 at Amalie Arena on Saturday.

It was the rookie's first game since Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Second Round against the Montreal Canadiens on May 7.

"I thought [Jonathan] was great," Lightning coach Jon Cooper said. "He did everything we wanted him to. He took some short shifts, which cut his ice time down a little bit. But he came into that game, and he's been prepared to play during our run here."

The 20-year-old provided some energy in seven first-period shifts that totaled 3:43, then played seven shifts during the final two periods.

TAMPA -- Most of the Tampa Bay Lightning's playoff scoring has been handled by "The Triplets" line of Ondrej Palat, Tyler Johnson and Nikita Kucherov, or the line of Steven Stamkos, Valtteri Filppula and Alex Killorn.

But in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final against the Chicago Blackhawks at Amalie Arena on Saturday, the Lightning generated more offensive chances with their third and fourth lines and defenseman Jason Garrison.

The result was a 4-3 win that tied the best-of-7 series 1-1. Game 3 will be played at United Center on Monday (8 p.m., ET; NBCSN, CBC, TVA Sports).

Houston Texans defensive end J.J. Watt has always been a big hockey fan and the two-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year decided to end his offseason hiatus from the sport.

Watt took to Twitter on Saturday to show his support for the Chicago Blackhawks before they play Game 2 of the 2015 Stanley Cup Final against the Tampa Bay Lightning (7:15 p.m. ET; NBC, CBC, TVA Sports).

He is known for being one of the NFL’s most dominant forces on the defensive side of the ball, but Watt maintains his passion for the sport he watched as a child.