Hedman Returns, Boosts Lightning's Playoff Push

0:00It's April 28th. This is NHL News Today, powered by AI, your team, your upding. Victor Headman suited up for a full practice with the Tampa Bay Lightning, hitting most drills at top speed. This marks his biggest on-ice workout since leaving the team on March 25th for personal reasons. The Lightning Captain is making progress, but Coach John Cooper gave no firm return date as they head into game 5 against Montreal, with the series, tie 2 games to 2. Here, comments from Cooper put Headman on the doubtful side for this round, but now he's trending up after skating with the extras over the past week. The 35-year-old played just 33 regular season games, logging 17 points and nearly 19 minutes of ice time per night. Team mates lit up seeing him back, embracing his energy even when he's just cheering from the bench. His presence traveled with him to Montreal for games 3 and 4, boosting morale big time. Tampa owns Lightning Records for defensemen in games, goals, assists and points with

1:02over 1100 games under his belt. He's a two-time cup champ, playoff MVP and Norris Winner, bringing serious pedigree. With the series down to a best of 3, Tampa's vets like Kutcherov and Vasilevsky hold the experience edge over Montreal's young guns, expect fireworks in the spinal clashes as both squads battle for the next round.