Lightning's Drouin hoping to be ready for season opener

Tampa Bay Lightning forward Jonathan Drouin is aiming to be ready for the team's season opener on Oct. 9 against the Florida Panthers, according to the Tampa Bay Times. Drouin skated with teammates Tuesday while wearing a no-contact jersey, and was expected to be out three-to-four weeks after fracturing his thumb on Sept. 18.

“(Playing in opener) is my goal, and if that doesn't happen, it doesn't happen,’’ Drouin said. “It feels better, still a little bit of pain, but we are going in the right direction. We have a couple more weeks to go here, and I’m sure it will feel good by then. It’s hard to be at practice and I want to be in the games right now, so it’s a little bit frustrating, but I can’t push it right now. We don’t want to rush anything.’’

Whether he plays in game one or not, general manager Steve Yzerman indicated the young forward will be slotted into the lineup as soon as he's healthy.