Anton Stralman a Possibility for Game 2

Tampa Bay Lightning coach Jon Cooper announced Sunday that defenseman Anton Stralman is a possibility for Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Final against the Pittsburgh Penguins.

He’s officially being considered day-to-day, which Cooper says is “great news.”

Stralman, a key player on the team’s blue line, practice Sunday and at a minimum is getting very close to a return.

He was injured on March 25 in a game against the New York Islander when he took an awkward spill in front of his own net where his leg folded beneath him, sending him to the locker room and off the ice for almost two months.

The return of Victor Hedman’s usual defensive partner would be huge for Tampa, who has been flying through the postseason, working through the first two rounds in just 10 games and grabbing Game 1 from Pittsburgh despite being on the road.