Lightning get Drouin back in wake of Stamkos injury

It's not all bad news for the Tampa Bay Lightning on the injury front.

After TSN's Bob McKenzie reported Thursday that Steven Stamkos is likely to miss at least four months with a meniscus tear, head coach Jon Cooper confirmed that forward Jonathan Drouin will return to the lineup when the club takes on the Buffalo Sabres, according to Joe Smith of the Tampa Bay Times.

Related: Lightning can manage in Stamkos' absence, for however long it is

Drouin had missed the past seven games with what the team deemed an upper-body injury.

The 21-year-old should help alleviate some of the offense lost in Stamkos' absence, as the club's captain sits just a single point behind Mark Scheifele and teammate Nikita Kucherov for the league lead.

That being said, Drouin will enter the lineup having gone pointless in six of his last seven games after starting the season with a three-game point streak.