For the second postseason in a row, the Tampa Bay Lightning have had to overcome a flu bug as they advance through the playoffs, but forward Valtteri Filppula assured the illness was out of the dressing room as they now await their second-round opponent.
The worst for wear was forward Tyler Johnson, as head coach John Cooper told reporters the 25-year-old was "struggling to sit on the bench" during their series-clinching Game 5 win against the Detroit Red Wings on Thursday.
"All of a sudden, the trash can got a little heavier and my body got a little lighter," Johnson described, per Joe Smith of the Tampa Bay Times. Cooper added that up to five players were dealing with the flu.
During last year's Eastern Conference Finals against the New York Rangers, at least four players (Johnson, Ondrej Palat, Ben Bishop, and Braydon Coburn) were all rumored to be ill. Tampa Bay went on to win the series in seven games.
Meanwhile, the Lightning still await the returns of defenseman Anton Stralman and forward J.T. Brown, who remain out indefinitely with lower- and upper-body injuries, respectively. Neither player is expected to dress early in the series.
