Tampa Bay's blue line could receive a huge boost Monday night, as top-pairing defenseman Anton Stralman's status was upgraded to day to day, and he could be available for Game 2, head coach Jon Cooper said.
Stralman broke his leg in late March and hasn't played since, but is showing few ill-effects at this point, according to Cooper.
#TBLightning Cooper said Stralman is getting closer, now day to day. Doesn't look like he ever got hurt. Not favoring anything.
— Joe Smith (@TBTimes_JSmith) May 15, 2016
Stralman's recovery has to be a huge sigh of relief for the Lightning, who are also dealing with injuries to captain Steven Stamkos and goalie Ben Bishop.
In the regular season, Stralman registered nine goals and 25 assists while averaging 22:05 of ice-time.
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