Tampa Bay Lightning captain Steven Stamkos will not play again in the Stanley Cup Final, coach Jon Cooper told reporters Sunday.

"Hopefully the next time we see him on the ice is for a trophy presentation," the coach said. "He did everything he could to get back. And he did get back, and unfortunately he couldn't go any further. I'm sure this will all be addressed after the series is over. He gamed it out."

The Tampa Bay Lightning have a chance to clinch the Stanley Cup on Saturday night, but they'll have to do it without their captain, Steven Stamkos.

The 30-year-old center will not play in Game 5, coach Jon Cooper announced on Saturday morning. The Lightning lead the Stanley Cup Final against the Dallas Stars, 3-1, with the pivotal Game 5 coming on the second night of a back-to-back.

Steven Stamkos will not play in Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final, coach Jon Cooper said, but the Tampa Bay Lightning captain has not been ruled out for the rest of the series.

Cooper made the announcement Friday morning, saying that Stamkos is "unfit to play." The Lightning have a 2-1 series lead against Dallas with Games 4 and 5 being held on back-to-back days, Friday and Saturday.

Steven Stamkos joined his teammates for morning skate on Monday, but the Lightning captain's status for Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final remains murky.

"If you've been following along with my press conferences, I really don't reveal anything about my lineups," Tampa Bay coach Jon Cooper said on Monday. "You'll have to tune in tonight to find out. It's probably frustrating for a lot of people, especially in the day of social media, but we'll have our lineup today and 20 guys will be in the lineup that give us the best chance to win."

Severely outplayed in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final in losing 4-1 to the Dallas Stars Saturday, the Tampa Bay Lightning appeared optimistic Sunday about seeing their captain, Steven Stamkos, return to game action.

Coach Jon Cooper said Stamkos "is inching his way closer" but declined to specify whether he'd be available for Monday's Game 2.

"I guess there's always a chance, but as of now, I don't think so," Cooper said. "But that's why you've got to tune in and find out."

Lightning captain Steven Stamkos is out, Brayden Point is hurting and Anthony Cirelli is hobbling, too.

The Lightning enter the Stanley Cup Final on Saturday against the Stars with several key players dealing with injuries.

The biggest question remains Stamkos, a two-time Richard Trophy winner who has been chasing an NHL title for 12 seasons. He has yet to play this postseason because of a lower-body injury.

In speaking with the media Friday, Tampa Bay GM Julien BriseBois didn't seem optimistic about the captain's return, at any point, but only went so far as to discuss Game 1.

"He's still rehabbing. We haven't ruled him out," BriseBois said. "I don't expect him in the lineup [Saturday]."

New York Islanders forwards Casey Cizikas and Tom Kuhnhackl have both left the Edmonton bubble due to injuries, the team announced ahead of Game 4 against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Sunday.

Neither player will return for the rest of the playoffs, the team said.

Tampa Bay Lightning captain Steven Stamkos will not be available for the Eastern Conference Finals, coach Jon Cooper said Sunday.

Stamkos has yet to play in the 2020 Stanley Cup playoffs as he rehabs from an undisclosed lower body injury. The Lightning face the New York Islanders in the Eastern Conference finals, with Game 1 on Monday.