Steven Stamkos is officially back.
The Tampa Bay Lightning captain will make his preseason debut Friday against the Nashville Predators, marking his first appearance since tearing the lateral meniscus in his right knee back on Nov. 15, 2016.
He said he's felt good in training camp, but game action will be the true test.
"It's just getting in the flow of things where you're reacting out there, not thinking," Stamkos said, according to Joe Smith of the Tampa Bay Times. "When you get injured the tendency is your mind is telling your body to protect that certain area that's injured.
"It's a natural reaction to an injured area. And really when you're over it is when you're not thinking about it. You're just going out there responding to the play, you're letting the game come to you. That's what I'm hoping for tonight."
It's not Stamkos' first comeback following a serious leg injury, seeing as he broke his leg early in 2013-14.
But prior to last season's setback, he registered nine goals and 11 assists in 17 games, and is confident he can get back to that high level of play.
"Listen, I snapped my leg in half and came back and was playing the best hockey of my career," Stamkos said. "So this is another hurdle. I'm confident that when you put in the work, you're going to find ways. It may be different ways. You may have to adjust certain parts of your game. But we'll handle that when I see how it feels in a game situation. We'll know more tonight."
