TAMPA, Fla. -- The Tampa Bay Lightning received positive news Thursday morning when coach Jon Cooper said center Tyler Johnson is probable to return later in the night against the San Jose Sharks at Amalie Arena.
Johnson, 24, is considered day-to-day with an upper-body injury after Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Brent Seabrook cross-checked him in the midsection in the third period of Chicago's shootout victory Tuesday at the United Center.
"Tough kid," Cooper said. "You have to look after these guys and make sure there's nothing wrong internally and stuff like that. But he was in a lot of pain. That's a tough hit on him. ... I think he exposed himself quite a bit by grabbing the puck. So he took a pretty good shot. But a couple days to heal. But we'll see tonight."
Johnson's presence in the lineup would represent a boost. He leads the Lightning in points with 18, and he also boasts a team-high 13 assists. He has played a central role in a line with Ondrej Palat and Nikita Kucherov that has sparked Tampa Bay early in the season as the Lightning have climbed to the top of the Eastern Conference with 24 points.
"We did a bunch of precautionary stuff in Chicago," Johnson said.
"Just see how it feels. Day-to-day here."
Meanwhile, center Alex Killorn, 25, is considered probable to return after missing four games with an upper-body injury. He hasn't played since sustaining the injury in the second period of a victory over the Washington Capitals on Nov. 1 at Amalie Arena.
You can follow Andrew Astleford on Twitter @aastleford or email him at aastleford@gmail.com.
