Johnson returns to practice as Bolts prep for Detroit
The forward is optimistic as his rehabilitation from a lower-body injury continues to progress
Johnson practiced for the first time with the Lightning during the team's optional morning skate on Thursday. Johnson wore a regular jersey signifying he could take contact but didn't take part in the Bolts' line rushes.
Following the skate, Johnson said he's taken longer to recover from the lower-body injury he suffered March 9 versus Minnesota than the initial prognosis suggested, but, lately, his rehabilitation has accelerated.
"Every day's getting better," Johnson said. "It's been one of those ones where it went really slow at the beginning, now it's going pretty fast. So, it's been good."
Lightning head coach Jon Cooper said Tampa Bay will go with the same lineup it used in Monday's 5-4 come-from-behind overtime victory against Chicago, but Johnson played coy with reporters when asked how far away he was from returning.
"I don't know, maybe you'll see me tonight, who knows," Johnson said, grinning. "You know I'm not going to tell you that."
Johnson has missed the Lightning's last nine games, but the team has continued to perform well in his absence, going 6-3-0. Brayden Point has stepped into the No. 1 center position with Johnson sidelined and tallied four goals and four assists in that role. American Hockey League callups Yanni Gourde, Adam Erne and Joel Vermin have also been big contributors while the Lightning deal with a multitude of injuries over the final stretch of the regular season, Gourde, in particular, taking advantage of his opportunity, scoring the overtime game-winner on a partial breakaway Monday against Chicago.
The Lightning enter tonight's game against Detroit three points behind Boston but with a game in hand for the final wild card in the Eastern Conference and four points back of Toronto for third place in the Atlantic Division.
"It's inspiring to see the way the guys are playing but tough having to watch and not really being able to be out there and help contribute," Johnson said. "Especially this time of the season where every game matters, every point matters, when you're watching the games, you see them giving it their all."
While Johnson's return appears close, a couple other banged up Bolts still need more time to recover. Cedric Paquette and Jason Garrison, both dealing with lower-body injuries, did not participate in Thursday's morning skate. Paquette, who has missed the last nine games, had skated with the Bolts in previous practices, but Cooper indicated Wednesday he'd suffered a setback and would take longer to get back on the ice.
Garrison was injured in the second period of Tampa Bay's win in Boston on March 23 and has missed the last two games.
The Lightning got some good injury news on Wednesday when captain Steven Stamkos, who has missed 58 games while recovering from surgery on his left knee, said he felt the best he's felt in a long time following Wednesday's practice and Cooper stating the status of the Bolts captain had moved to day-to-day from out indefinitely.
Still, with seven games remaining in the regular season, including tonight's game versus Detroit, time is running out for the injured Bolts to get back in the lineup and help the team return to the playoffs for the fourth season in a row.
"Yeah, guys are progressing, but we need them back now," Cooper said. "It's encouraging to see them coming but, again, still another game with none of the guys coming back. We're rolling with what's got us here and hopefully get them back soon."
ICE CHIPS:Andrei Vasilevskiy was the first Lightning goaltender off the ice from morning skate and is expected to make his third-consecutive start…Victor Hedman needs one more point to set a Lightning franchise record for scoring in a season by a defenseman. Hedman is currently tied with Roman Hamrlik, who notched 65 points during the 1995-96 campaign…The Lightning can sweep a regular season series against Detroit for the first time with a victory tonight. The Bolts are 4-0-0 versus the Red Wings this season…Detroit is playing the final game in a stretch of four games in five nights when it plays the Lightning tonight.
