Lightning's Nikita Kucherov 'probable' for Game 6

CHICAGO — Nikita Kucherov will participate in warmups prior to Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final Monday night, and then the decision on whether he plays will be up to Tampa Bay Lightning head coach Jon Cooper.

After leaving Game 5 with an upper-body injury following a collision with a goal post, Kucherov was involved in Monday’s morning skate and took a few shots on net. His upper-body injury is suspected to be related to his right shoulder/collarbone.

A day after Cooper said Kucherov was in “considerably better shape,” he listed the second-leading scorer of the playoffs as “probable" for Game 6.

In his absence, Cooper made Steven Stamkos an honorary Triplet, putting him on the line with Tyler Johnson and Ondrej Palat. Chicago would win 2-1 and take a 3-2 series lead.

“He’s an all-world talent. There are some things he can do with the puck that’s just amazing,” said Johnson of Kucherov. “Smart player, works hard, competes. He’s a 200-foot player. He’s a guy that Pally and I really enjoy playing with. He makes the game easy for us.”

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Sean Leahy is the associate editor for Puck Daddy on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at puckdaddyblog@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Sean_Leahy

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