Stamkos (upper body) was on the ice for Tuesday's morning skate and wore a red, no-contact jersey, Joe Smith of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Stamkos has been out of action since April 4 as he tries to overcome a blot clot issue. This appears to be the first major step in his recovery. It's still too early to tell when he'll return to game ice, but the Bolts will open the second-round playoff series against the Islanders on Wednesday. Even without Stamkos, one of the game's best forwards, the Lightning were able to knock off the Red Wings in the quarterfinals, with winger Nikita Kucherov compiling eight points in just five games.