Lightning's Steven Stamkos: Still unable to return

Stamkos (upper body) will watch Game 3 from the sidelines as he continues to battle a blood clot issue, Seth Rorabaugh of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

Analysis:

While Stamkos has consistently been skating with the team, there has yet to be any change to his status and he's now been out of the lineup for 18 contests. With how long the center has been out, he will likely need to shake of some rust if he can return to the ice during the Eastern Conference Finals. Yet his regular-season production -- 36 goals and 28 assists -- would make him worth a look for daily lineups.