Seen Steven Stamkos? Is he healthy?The Eastern Conference No. 1 seed Tampa Bay Lightning sure hope so after Stamkos missed four of the last seven regular-season games with a nagging lower-body injury.After a torn meniscus in his right knee cost Stamkos several months and likely Tampa Bay a playoff spot last season Bobby Ryan Jersey , his status bears watching more than any other injured player going into the Stanley Cup playoffs.Stamkos was a full participant in practice Monday and said it’s ”the hope” to be ready for Game 1 Thursday when the Lightning host the New Jersey Devils.”Definitely a step in the right direction,” Stamkos told reporters in Tampa. ”Felt pretty good all things considered.”That’s a good sign for the Lightning, who got 100 points from Nikita Kucherov but count on Stamkos to be their top-line center and a big-time scorer on the power play.Tampa Bay’s opponent is hoping to get Marcus Johansson back after he missed New Jersey’s final 35 games with a concussion. Johansson has been cleared for contact, but not yet to play and said over the weekend he’s feeling better.In the West, the already-deep top-seeded Nashville Predators are on the verge of getting forward Calle Jarnkrok back after he missed almost the final month of the regular season with an upper-body injury. Jarnkrok had 16 goals and 19 assists for 35 points in 68 games with Nashville, which opens against Colorado.”I think he’s getting real close,” general manager David Poile said. ”We get into this time of the year, so I guess you’d have to say he’s day to day.”Washington Capitals coach Barry Trotz called forwards T.J. Oshie (lower body) and Jay Beagle (upper body) day to day, too. Oshie practiced Tuesday, while Beagle skated afterward with a more questionable status.”I feel good,” Oshie said. ”I feel right now I’m playing my best hockey. Obviously, I’ve rested a couple of games. But I feel like I’ve had the most energy and the most clarity out there then I did for a while there. Right there I feel at my best.”In the first round, they’ll have to deal with Columbus captain Nick Foligno, who’s ready to rejoin the Blue Jackets lineup after missing time with a lower-body injury.A few high-profile defensemen weren’t as fortunate, and their injuries could prove costly. Boston lost Brandon Carlo and Minnesota lost Ryan Suter to broken ankles http://www.officialsenators.com/authentic-adidas-chris-wideman-jersey , and Winnipeg won’t have Dmitry Kulikov with a back injury. Winnipeg faces Minnesota in the first round.It’s the second consecutive playoffs Carlo missed after he was concussed by Alex Ovechkin a year ago.”It’s the one thing he’s been looking forward to,” Krug said of Carlo. ”Obviously he went through it last year missing the time and this year he was excited for it. You feel awful. It’s a tough break.”Coach Bruce Cassidy said: ”It (stinks), honestly, for a guy that’s played almost every regular-season game. … It’s disappointing for me. He’s a well-liked guy on this team and done a lot, so that’s disheartening.”The Bruins are optimistic injured forwards Rick Nash, Riley Nash and Sean Kuraly will be ready for Game 1 against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Thursday.”They’re all working that way,” Boston GM Don Sweeney said. ”Hopefully they’ll all be available.”—AP Sports Writer Teresa M. Walker in Nashville, Tennessee, contributed.— SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) San Jose coach Peter DeBoer talks about Logan Couture as playing at another level at this time of the year. Couture proved his coach right once again.Couture scored his NHL-leading 16th go-ahead goal six minutes into the third period and the Sharks improved their chances for home-ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs with a 4-2 victory over the Colorado Avalanche on Thursday night.”It was a big power play,” Couture said. ”I think we moved the puck around OK on the first one we had. The second one, just a great play by (Kevin) Labanc to find me. (Goalie Jonathan) Bernier was out of the net. Actually, the puck hopped on my stick. I wasn’t trying to shoot it along the ice. I got a little lucky.”Justin Braun, Tomas Hertl and Joonas Donskoi also scored for the Sharks, who snapped a four-game losing streak and kept their one-point lead over the Anaheim Ducks for second-place in the Pacific Division.”That’s not an easy game for us under the circumstances and some of the guys out Craig Anderson Jersey ,” DeBoer said. ”I thought we dug deep and found a way to win an important game at an important time of year.”Mikko Rantanen and Blake Comeau scored for the Avalanche, who missed an opportunity to increase their lead over the St. Louis Blues for a playoff spot.Martin Jones stopped 23 shots for the Sharks. Bernier saved 32 for the Avalanche.Less than three minutes into the first period, Braun scored on a slap shot from just inside the blue line that deflected off the arm or stick of a Colorado defender, giving Bernier no chance to adjust.”That was huge. We needed that just to kind of put those other teams in the rear view a little bit,” Braun said. ”If we hold onto second here on Saturday and go from there, get home ice in the first round. It would be huge.”The Avalanche tied the score with a power-play goal at 15:17. Jones blocked the first two shots but could not control them. The second bounced free toward the side, and Rantanen was able to get it by a diving Jones.Tyson Barrie earned an assist on the play, giving him a career-best 43. His 56 points match Rob Blake for most by an Avalanche defenseman in the past 16 years.Colorado has scored on the power play in each of its last four games and is 6 of 11 during that span. It also has allowed a power-play goal in each of the past five games.Couture scored on a power play 77 seconds after the Avalanche tied the game. Labanc recorded the first assist with a nice crossing pass.The Blues will enter Saturday’s game in Denver either up a point or down a point, meaning the final game of the regular season will determine which team goes to the playoffs and which team goes home.”We’ll have to take advantage of home ice. This is Game 7 for us,” said Mark Barberio, who returned to action after a long absence. ”These are the moments we play for: a chance to make the playoffs.”Donskoi scored midway through the final period to make it 3-1. Dylan DeMelo took a shot that Bernier stopped, but Donsoi took it away and put it in the net before Bernier could cover.Two minutes later, Comeau redirected a shot by David Warsofsky to make it 3-2.Hertl scored an empty-net goal in the final two seconds.”It comes down to one game. It’s going to be a fun one,” Colorado coach Jared Bednar said. ”We’ll have to earn every inch of the ice.”NOTES: Colorado C Carl Soderberg played in his 399th NHL game. … Couture has points in three of his last four games. … Sharks F Evander Kane missed his second straight game as a result of an upper-body injury sustained last Saturday in Las Vegas.UP NEXT:Avalanche: Host St. Louis on Saturday in the regular-season finale.Sharks: Host Minnesota on Saturday in the regular-season finale.—