Steven Stamkos Changes Blood Clot Medication to Expedite Return

According to a report by Chris Johnston of Sportsnet.Ca, Lightning forward Steven Stamkos has moved to an injectable form of blood thinners that could potentially expedite his return to the ice.

According to Johnston’s report.

The Tampa Bay Lightning captain skated in a normal practice sweater at Consol Energy Center on Sunday afternoon and said afterwards that he had started experimenting with a medication that he could continue to take while playing.

While he’s not expected to suit up for Game 2 against Pittsburgh on Monday night, these appear to be positive steps toward an eventual return.

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The regimen discussed in the article is similar to that of Penguins’ forward Pascal Dupuis earlier in the 2015-16 campaign, though Dupuis was eventually forced to retire from hockey due to his health concerns. However, as Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy proved this season when dealing with a similar ailment, a player can make a full recovery from this sort of clot.

Stamkos was diagnosed with the blood clot on April 4 and has not yet returned to action. Based on this change in medication, both Stamkos and the Lightning medical staff are hoping he can return at some point during the Eastern Conference Finals.