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Drouin ill; no sign of mumps

 
Jonathan Drouin will be out 3-4 weeks due to a slight fracture in his right thumb. [DIRK SHADD | Times]
Jonathan Drouin will be out 3-4 weeks due to a slight fracture in his right thumb. [DIRK SHADD | Times]
Published Dec. 28, 2014

TAMPA — With teams across the league still battling the mumps, Lightning coach Jon Cooper said he had some concerns when he heard rookie LW Jonathan Drouin was ill Saturday.

"When somebody is feeling sick, now you think of it," Cooper said. "You never thought of it before."

The good news for the Lightning was there was no indication Drouin had the mumps, Cooper said. The bad news was the team sent him home before Saturday's morning skate, and he didn't play in the 2-1 win against the Hurricanes.

Drouin entered the day tied for sixth among NHL rookies with 14 points and has four assists and a goal this month. Cooper didn't have an update on Drouin's health after the game.

Cooper said the team continues to be proactive against diseases; instead of having players come to the arena for treatment, they stay at home to recover and avoid spreading germs. C Tyler Johnson and D Radko Gudas have missed time this month with stomach-related illnesses.

Cedric Paquette took Drouin's spot on the top line with C Steven Stamkos and RW Brett Connolly.

"He's a valuable player for us," Cooper said of Paquette, who had five goals in his first 26 games. "He's just a young kid, so he's still finding his way."

BISHOP BACK: G Ben Bishop returned to the starting lineup after missing the past four games with a lower-body injury. Bishop lobbied to play Tuesday against the Penguins, but the team chose to give him an extra day of rest to take advantage of the three-day Christmas break.

"I missed it," Bishop said. "I missed it a lot."

The Lightning reassigned his replacement, Andrei Vasilevskiy, to AHL Syracuse during the break. It was impressed with the highly touted 20-year-old prospect in his three starts.

Cooper said Vasilevskiy's time with Syracuse has helped him play the puck well and handle adversity better during his stint with the Lightning than he did during training camp. "You'd think he'd been in the league for six years," Cooper said. "I can't sit here and say this will be the last time you'll see him with us this year."

GARRISON CLOSER: D Jason Garrison missed his second consecutive game with an undisclosed injury but is nearing a return. "Three days (off) was pretty tremendous on the way it felt," Garrison said.

He participated in the morning skate and expected to practice today. Garrison said he could be ready to return for Monday's home game against the Maple Leafs.

ICE CHIPS: D Victor Hedman and RW Ryan Callahan were alternate captains. … LW Ondrej Palat's first-period assist was his fourth in the previous four periods. … C Alex Killorn scored his first goal since Nov. 29, ending a 12-game drought. … The Lightning was 0-for-6 on the power play.

Contact Matt Baker at mbaker@tampabay.com. Follow @MBakerTBTimes.