Tampa Bay Lightning captain Steven Stamkos couldn't make it past the first period Wednesday in his return to the team's lineup during Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final.

Stamkos finished the game with just five shifts and 2:47 minutes of ice time after suffering an apparent setback in the opening frame.

The 30-year-old hasn't played since Feb. 25. He underwent core muscle surgery in early March and sustained a lower-body injury during Phase 2 of the NHL's return-to-play protocol in July.

Stamkos scored a goal before leaving Wednesday's action. He initially didn't come out to start the second period but later joined his teammates on the bench for the remainder of the game.

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Steven Stamkos has gotten the green light.

The Tampa Bay Lightning captain is in the lineup for Game 3 against the Dallas Stars on Wednesday. Stamkos, who hasn't played since Feb. 25 after requiring core muscle surgery, has been dealing with a lower-body injury since the club entered the bubble in July.

Stamkos ranked second on the Lightning in both goals (29) and points (66) through 57 regular-season contests. He scored points in 15 consecutive games before being injured.

The 30-year-old sniper led the team with 10 power-play goals during the regular season. His presence on the man advantage should boost a unit that's been struggling as of late. Tampa Bay buried a pair of power-play markers in Game 2 but hadn't scored on its 15 previous opportunities.

Stamkos has contributed 23 goals and 53 points over 70 career playoff outings.

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The Ottawa Senators will not offer goaltender Craig Anderson a contract for 2020-21, general manager Pierre Dorion told reporters, including Postmedia's Bruce Garrioch, on Wednesday.

"He's the best goalie we've ever had," Dorion said. "It's time for us to take another direction and we thank him for everything he did."

The pending unrestricted free agent is the Senators' all-time leader in games played by a netminder. He's also tied with Robin Lehner atop the club's save percentage list with a .914 mark while having played 349 more contests with Ottawa than his fellow soon-to-be UFA.

Anderson, 39, spent nine-plus seasons of his 17 NHL campaigns with the Senators. Ottawa traded goaltender Brian Elliott to the Colorado Avalanche for him in 2011.

The Senators signed Anderson to a two-year, $9.5-million extension in September 2017.

He struggled while backstopping a rebuilding team in 2019-20, posting a .902 save percentage and minus-7.95 goals saved above average in 34 games.

Anderson won the Masterton Trophy in 2016-17 after taking several leaves of absence that season to spend time with his wife, Nicholle, who was diagnosed with throat cancer.

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No harm, no foul in Game 2, as a push on the under 5 takes our current run to 9-2-1 since the start of Round 3.

There's only so much money left to make in these playoffs, so let's get after it.

Tampa Bay Lightning (-155) at Dallas Stars (+135)

The Stanley Cup Final is now a best-of-five after the teams split the first two games, leading to a pressure-packed Game 3. Historically, clubs that win in this spot take the series 67.5% of the time.

To avoid joining the 32.5% there, the Stars need to get off to a better start. Down 1-0 in the series, the Lightning came out firing on all cylinders in Game 2. The Stars simply weren't prepared, falling into a 3-0 hole by just the 4:44 mark of the first period. Dallas allowed precious little after that, but the damage was done and the team's comeback fell short in a 3-2 loss.

With a better first period in that contest, the Stars could be holding a 2-0 series lead, but they came out a step behind the Bolts and it cost them dearly. The ice was tilted for the duration of the first period, resulting in three Dallas penalties and two power-play goals for Tampa. The Lightning built a three-goal lead over the first 20 minutes despite producing just 1.09 expected goals for, and a pedestrian 0.55 at five-on-five.

That game will serve as a wake-up call for the Stars, who should enjoy a much better start in the series-defining Game 3. Through two games they've shown their ability to suppress Tampa's offense, allowing just two goals and 17 high-danger chances at five-on-five. With Anton Khudobin still on top of his game, Dallas' defense in control, and the Stars getting last change for the first time in this series, I'll gladly scoop up the generous price of +135.

Pick: Stars (+135)

(Odds source: theScore Bet)

Alex Moretto is a sports betting writer for theScore. A journalism graduate from Guelph-Humber University, he has worked in sports media for over a decade. He will bet on anything from the Super Bowl to amateur soccer, is too impatient for futures, and will never trust a kicker. Find him on Twitter @alexjmoretto.

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The Montreal Canadiens signed forward Jake Evans to a two-year contract extension, the team announced Wednesday.

The first year of the deal is a two-way agreement and will pay Evans $700,000 at the NHL level. The second season is worth $800,000 and will be a one-way contract.

Evans was drafted in the seventh round in 2014, and made his NHL debut this past season after four years at Notre Dame and two with the AHL's Laval Rocket. The 24-year-old notched three points in 13 games with the Habs before adding an assist in six postseason contests.

Evans was one of several restricted free agents Montreal needs to sign this offseason. Max Domi, Victor Mete, Charles Hudon, and Xavier Ouellet require new deals as well.

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After winning two of the NHL's most prestigious personal awards on Monday, Edmonton Oilers star Leon Draisaitl still has his eyes on hoisting the Stanley Cup.

"No, this doesn't make up for it," Draisaitl said of Edmonton's early exit from the postseason, according to Sportsnet's Mark Spector. "It's a nice personal award for myself, but there's nothing that comes ahead of the Stanley Cup. If I could hand those two awards back in for a Stanley Cup I would do it in a heartbeat, and so would everyone else.

"It's a nice day, I am proud and happy for sure. But my goal in my career is to win the Stanley Cup."

Draisaitl took home both the Hart Trophy as the league's most valuable player and the Ted Lindsay Award as the league's most outstanding player as voted on by his peers.

The 24-year-old was the most dominant offensive player throughout the 2019-20 season, recording 43 goals and 67 assists in 71 games. He was the only player in the league who eclipsed the 100-point mark.

Edmonton entered the postseason as the No. 5 seed in the Western Conference and fell to the 12th-seeded Chicago Blackhawks in the qualifying round. The Oilers have now failed to make the Round of 16 during the past three seasons.

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