"He's doing pretty well," Lightning coach Jon Cooper said. "What did we say, 3-6 weeks? Today is three weeks, so he'll be a game-time decision. We will see how he feels after we get off [the ice]. We did some battling drills there at the end. It's been encouraging, so we will see what happens."
Hedman has 33 points (six goals, 27 assists) and averages a Lightning-high 25:36 of ice time in 44 games this season. The 27-year-old has 334 points (71 goals, 263 assists) in 593 games in nine NHL seasons.
"Hedman for us is the first over the boards on the penalty kill, first over the boards on the power play," Cooper said. "The big thing is, he's always playing against, usually, the top lines of the other team, so now somebody has to step up to do that. It's tough.
"He's been a guy that's meant so much to us … it's hard to replace. You just collectively have to play better [defense]. We were fortunate to get through some of these games without him, but we're definitely a better team when we have him."
Lightning center Steven Stamkos said Hedman's ability and presence has been missed. Tampa Bay has gone 3-2-0 without him.
"It's tough to replace [Hedman] with, obviously, his world-class skill, speed and smarts," Stamkos said. "He plays 25-28 minutes a night. He's just a calming presence back there. Guys have stepped up, they've done a good job."
