Kucherov, Sergachev likely to play in Game 5

Good news Lightning fans: The Bolts are likely to have Nikita Kucherov and Mikhail Sergachev in the lineup for a potential series-clinching Game 5 tonight at BB&T Center.
The status of both was in question after each sustained an injury late in the Game 4 win Saturday at AMALIE Arena. Kucherov was slashed in the knee by Florida's Anthony Duclair on a power play and crumpled to the ice in considerable pain. Sergachev took a shoulder-to-shoulder hit from Patric Hornqvist that sent him head and shoulder first into the corner wall, and he was hunched over at the waist as he headed off the ice and down the tunnel.
Both participated in Monday's morning skate at BB&T Center ahead of Game 5 and were in their customary spots, Kucherov at the right wing on the Lightning top line alongside Ondrej Palat and Brayden Point and Sergachev partnering with David Savard on the Bolts' third defensive pair.
Following the skate, Jon Cooper was asked if both will be ready to play tonight.

"Yeah, they should be," the Lightning head coach answered.
Barclay Goodrow was a surprise participant at Monday's morning skate. Goodrow hasn't practiced with his teammates since suffering an upper-body injury in the next-to-last game of the regular season against the Panthers.
Goodrow didn't do much while his teammates practiced. He remained at center ice and was mainly an observer. But once the majority of the team headed back to the locker room, he stayed on the ice and worked in drills with scratches Fredrik Claesson, Mitchell Stephens and Christopher Gibson, a good sign that he's making progress in his recovery.
Cooper said Goodrow won't be available for Game 5, however.
Up three games to one, the Lightning have an opportunity to close out the First Round series against in-state rival Florida with a win in tonight's Game 5. The Lightning have never lost a series in their playoff history when up 3-1, going 10-0. In seven of those series victories, they've clinched the series on their first opportunity in Game 5. The Bolts have never had to play a Game 7 when up 3-1 in a series.

With Carolina and Nashville tied 2-2 in their best-of-seven series and guaranteed to play until at least Thursday, the Lightning have an opportunity to get a bit of rest should they eliminate the Panthers tonight.
The winner of the Tampa Bay-Florida series will face the winner of Carolina-Nashville in the Second Round.
"There's no secret you get maybe a little bit of extra rest to heal up the bumps and what not," Lightning defenseman Ryan McDonagh said. "You can't think that far ahead. There's a lot of hockey to be played here and a job that's not finished yet. You can use that as motivation in the back of your head. But at the end of the day, you've got to come ready to really battle even harder than other games we have in this series. They're definitely not going to go away easy here playing in front of their home crowd, so we just want to focus on our start here and controlling what we can and that's getting our energy level up and our execution and our structure and letting things go from there."
Pat Maroon said he expects Florida to play their best game of the series in Game 5 facing elimination and the potential end to what has been a storybook season for the Panthers.
"The fourth game is always the hardest one to win," he said. "We know we're going to get their best tonight. They've been playing good. We've got to find ways to get the job done tonight. They're not just going to lay down here. The fourth game is always the hardest one, so we've got to find ways to get to our game early, jump on them quick and just play our game. Play Tampa Bay Lightning style of play and we'll see what happens at the end of the game here."
The Panthers will have their largest fan support of the series at BB&T Center for Game 5. On Sunday, the team announced they'll increase capacity to just under 75 percent for Game 5 and any potential future games, which would see approximately 14,000 fans inside the arena.
The Lightning have thrived as the road team in the series, however, winning both previous games at BB&T Center and feeding off the energy from the increased crowds.
"Honestly, I thought Game 1 and 2 was a great atmosphere, a lot of energy," Lightning forward Blake Coleman said. "They were loud all game. As a player, that's what you want. That's why you want to play in the playoffs. You want to play in front of loud and hostile and intense crowds and be a part of that, just the emotion that comes with it. You've got to weather it the right way. Obviously, they're going to give their team a push, but if you use it the right way it can also help you out. Excited that more and more fans are coming into the buildings. That means life and hockey are returning to the way it should be. We're excited to play in front of this crowd and, honestly, you try to just focus on your game but it's hard to ignore when a crowd gets going like that and gives you that emotion."
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