Steven Stamkos didn't do much in the Tampa Bay Lightning's Game 7 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins, but he has no regrets about playing.

"Extremely proud. It was special for me to get back on the ice with these guys. With this group," the captain said after Tampa Bay's 2-1 defeat in the Eastern Conference Final on Thursday night, according to Greg Wyshynski of Yahoo Sports.

"Such a tight group .. such a team that has gone through a lot this year. Different types of adversity. And we've come through with flying colors, but it just didn't happen tonight."

Stamkos saw his first action in exactly eight weeks after having surgery to treat a blood clot condition.

He played only 11:55 in the elimination game, registering two shots on goal, and he had trouble driving puck possession.

Stamkos posted a Corsi For percentage of only 36.36 at even strength, and wasn't much better in all situations, in which he controlled possession at a 46.15 percent clip.

"These are usually the kind(s) of moments when things go well because of the things that you endure as a group," Stamkos said postgame. "But for whatever reason, we're going to have to learn from this and come back stronger."

Stamkos was hardly the only Lightning player to struggle Thursday. Tampa Bay was outshot 39-17, and only Nikita Kucherov drove possession at 50 percent or more in all situations.

Lightning forward Brian Boyle appreciated Stamkos' presence in the lineup even in a losing effort.

"It was great for us," Boyle said. "He's our leader. We love him."

Stamkos' future is uncertain - both from a health standpoint and in terms of his contract - and stands to be the biggest NHL storyline this summer.

(Analytics courtesy: HockeyStats.ca)

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Steven Stamkos didn't do much in the Tampa Bay Lightning's Game 7 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins, but he has no regrets about playing.

"Extremely proud. It was special for me to get back on the ice with these guys. With this group," the captain said after Tampa Bay's 2-1 defeat in the Eastern Conference Final on Thursday night, according to Greg Wyshynski of Yahoo Sports.

"Such a tight group .. such a team that has gone through a lot this year. Different types of adversity. And we've come through with flying colors, but it just didn't happen tonight."

Stamkos saw his first action in exactly eight weeks after having surgery to treat a blood clot condition.

He played only 11:55 in the elimination game, registering two shots on goal, and he had trouble driving puck possession.

Stamkos posted a Corsi For percentage of only 36.36 at even strength, and wasn't much better in all situations, in which he controlled possession at a 46.15 percent clip.

"These are usually the kind(s) of moments when things go well because of the things that you endure as a group," Stamkos said postgame. "But for whatever reason, we're going to have to learn from this and come back stronger."

Stamkos was hardly the only Lightning player to struggle Thursday. Tampa Bay was outshot 39-17, and only Nikita Kucherov drove possession at 50 percent or more in all situations.

Lightning forward Brian Boyle appreciated Stamkos' presence in the lineup even in a losing effort.

"It was great for us," Boyle said. "He's our leader. We love him."

Stamkos' future is uncertain - both from a health standpoint and in terms of his contract - and stands to be the biggest NHL storyline this summer.

(Analytics courtesy: HockeyStats.ca)

Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Tampa Bay Lightning fell in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Final on Thursday, thanks in large part to special teams, according to Lightning head coach Jon Cooper.

"In the end, penalties hurt us," Cooper said, according to Puck Daddy's Greg Wyshynski. "It's not on the scoreboard, but it sucked the momentum out of us."

While the Lightning penalty kill was perfect in fending off five Pittsburgh Penguins power plays, the Lightning took six penalties, compared to Pittsburgh's three, including four in the second period.

"I don't know if we had 20 minutes of power play in this series, and I guarantee they had well over 40," Cooper said in a press conference. "When you're killing that much, it's just momentum killers for you, and that hurt us in the second period for sure."

The penalties also hurt as they kept Lightning captain Steven Stamkos off the ice. The 26-year-old - who returned from an eight-week absence - saw zero minutes of penalty kill time.

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Bryan Rust has a sense of timing.

The rookie provided all of the offense for the Pittsburgh Penguins' 2-1 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Final, and Thursday wasn't his first time scoring twice this spring.

Bryan Rust (@penguins) posted his second career multi-goal playoff game, both of which have been earned in series-clinching wins. #PITvsTBL

— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) May 27, 2016

Rust also notched a pair of goals and added an assist in Pittsburgh's 6-3 series-clinching win over the New York Rangers in Game 5 of their first-round series.

The 24-year-old has five goals and three assists in 17 playoff games after managing only 11 points in 47 regular-season contests.

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Sidney Crosby is unlike many of his counterparts.

The Pittsburgh Penguins captain showed no fear lifting the Prince of Wales Trophy on Thursday. The Penguins hoisted the trophy - awarded to the winner of the Eastern Conference - following their Game 7 victory, despite a common tradition to avoid doing so.

An unwritten rule by players usually sees clubs elect not to touch the trophy or the Western Conference's Clarence S. Campbell Bowl - the San Jose Sharks did not lift it on Wednesday - as a symbol that the team is waiting to hoist the Stanley Cup.

However, picking it up has served Crosby well in the past. After he refused to lift in in 2008 and lost in the Cup Final to the Detroit Red Wings, he decided to forgo superstition in 2009 ahead of another meeting with those same Red Wings in the Final, this time capturing his first and only Stanley Cup.

Sidney Crosby notes the 91 and 92 #pens touched conference trophy in addition to 09. "It's gone well when we've touched it here."

— Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) May 27, 2016

Crosby is clearly hoping history will repeat itself.

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Bryan Rust scored twice as the Pittsburgh Penguins earned a berth in the Stanley Cup Final with a 2-1 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Final on Thursday night.

More to come.

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Tampa Bay Lightning captain Steven Stamkos wouldn't have played Game 7 of the Eastern Conference final if it was up to Don Cherry. The popular hockey commentator was adamant that Stamkos, who appeared in Thursday's game for the first time thi...

Jonathan Drouin is taking some pressure off his captain in Game 7.

The 21-year-old forward drew the Tampa Bay Lightning even with the Pittsburgh Penguins in the Eastern Conference Final elimination game, firing a bullet over goaltender Matt Murray midway through Thursday's second period.

Bryan Rust scored his second goal of the game to restore the Penguins' lead 30 seconds later.

Drouin's marker was his fifth goal and 14th point in 17 postseason contests this spring.

(Video courtesy: NHL.com)

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Best (and most accurate) fan sign in the building: "Rust is tough on Bolts."https://t.co/voJ171swXK

— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) May 27, 2016

Rust is clearly just a name.

For the second straight game Thursday, Bryan Rust scored a clutch goal for his Pittsburgh Penguins. After scoring the insurance marker in Game 6, the 24-year-old sniped his fourth of the playoffs for a 1-0 lead over the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 7.

After Jonathan Drouin scored to tie the game 1-1, Rust would reply with his second of the contest moments later to restore the Penguins' lead.

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The captain is back.

Eight weeks to the day of his last NHL game, Steven Stamkos made his return to the Tampa Bay Lightning lineup for Thursday's Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Final against the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Lightning head coach Jon Cooper was evasive when asked about Stamkos beforehand, but the forward took part in the warmup and began the game on the the third line between Ondrej Palat and Ryan Callahan.

Stamkos had been out of the lineup since March 31 after having vascular surgery to treat a blood clot condition.

His surgeon, Dr. Karl Illig, told Joe Smith of the Tampa Bay Times that Stamkos was cleared to play "a while ago," and the issue was blood thinners.

Illig added that the risks are "very, very low," and the decision was left up to Stamkos, who received several opinions before opting to play.

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