Stamkos won't play in Game 4, not ruled out for rest of series

Tampa Bay Lightning head coach Jon Cooper announced captain Steven Stamkos will not play in Friday's Game 4 against the Dallas Stars, according to The Athletic's Thomas Drance.

Cooper did not rule Stamkos out for the remainder of the series, however.

Stamkos made a brief but memorable appearance in Game 3. In his first meaningful game action since February, he scored a goal in Tampa Bay's 5-2 victory. He played just 2:47 across five shifts in the opening period before suffering an apparent setback. Stamkos stayed on the bench for the remainder of the game but didn't take another shift.

The 30-year-old tallied 66 points in 57 regular-season games.