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Lightning Maintain Approach

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: November 13, 2007

TAMPA - Following Saturday's 5-2 victory at Washington, the Lightning are in the midst of a three-game winning streak that came on the heels of a six-game winless streak.

Lightning coach John Tortorella said Monday that he has been asked what is different now compared to a week ago, when the team suffered its fifth consecutive loss, at Florida.

"I don't think anything has happened," Tortorella said. "I think we've gotten a couple of bounces, we've gotten a couple of keys goals at key times and we've gotten a couple of key saves at key times."

The message throughout the tough stretch of games was that nothing was going to change because there wasn't much to alter other than the outcomes.

"We weren't far away and we knew we weren't far away as long as we continued to play the right way and we felt we would get some bounces and I think that's what has happened here," Tortorella said. "There is no magic potion here that's gone on, it's just a matter of staying with it and playing. And we'll go through some more jams as far as losing streaks as we go along. As long as we just stay patient with it and continue with our team concept, we'll get out of it."

Tortorella said that one key point of emphasis was showing on tape all the positive things the team was accomplishing despite the losses.

"We showed them clip after clip after clip as far as some of the good things we were doing," he said. "It's not about prodding because I think we have a mature core of people that understand how we do things and how we approach the coaching part of all this. And we've been together for so long we can discuss what we are doing as a club.

"And that's the most important thing as a coach is to understand the pulse of your club and how you're playing, no matter what the results are, because you can damage a team if you don't coach them correctly in situations like this."

TOP DOG: Lightning C Vinny Lecavalier was named the NHL's first star for the week of Nov. 5-11 after notching two goals and eight points, tying for the league-lead in points for the week. Lecavalier, who led the league with 52 goals last season, entered Monday's games tied for third in league scoring with 24 points, trailing only Detroit's Henrik Zetterberg (27) and Pittsburgh's Sidney Crosby (25). Lecavalier finished the week with four consecutive multipoint games.

"It's an honor," said Lecavalier, who won the Player of the Week honor for the second time in his career, the other coming Feb. 9, 2004. "It's always nice to win something like this and I know for me it's all about being consistent. And, obviously, I couldn't do it without my teammates."

CONDITIONING STINT: After not playing in a game for more than five weeks due to a herniated disc in his back, LW Ryan Craig played three games in four nights, logging plenty of ice time.

In his two-game conditioning assignment in Norfolk, Craig played 27 minutes on Wednesday and around 25 minutes Friday before getting more than 17 minutes Saturday in his regular-season debut, during which he found his way onto the scoresheet with a tip-in goal.

After practice Monday, Craig said that everything felt fine.

"I guess that's why they call it a conditioning assignment," Craig joked of his extended ice time. "I was just happy that I was able to contribute in a win, and most of all that we were able to win the game."

Craig's return brings more versatility to the lineup as he plays in all situations.

"It gives me the opportunity to have a utility guy who can play in a lot of situations and a lot of different positions within those situations," Tortorella said. "He's a key guy if he stays healthy and just stays with it."

With Craig's return, TSN reported that LW Mathieu Darche and C Craig MacDonald were placed on waivers, likely with the intention of sending one or both to AHL Norfolk.

NUTS AND BOLTS: D Filip Kuba did not practice Monday for what the team called "body maintenance," though he is expected to skate during practice today. ... LW Jan Hlavac said his broken nose was no worse for wear Monday, two days after a Mike Green high stick caught Hlavac flush on his nose. Hlavac said he doesn't intend to wear a face shield when the team returns to the ice Wednesday against Carolina. ... The Lightning will host a news conference this morning to unveil a new book entitled "Thunderbug's Street Hockey Tour - Downtown Tampa," a children's book marking some of downtown Tampa's top sites.

Erik Erlendsson

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