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Shootout Shakeup Produces Results

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By TONY FABRIZIO | The Tampa Tribune

Published: December 28, 2008

TAMPA - Interim coach Rick Tocchet finally shook up his shootout rotation Friday night against Florida, and it worked. The Lightning converted three of four chances and claimed only their second victory in eight shootout contests.

Does that mean the lineup of Adam Hall, Evgeny Artyukhin and Jussi Jokinen is the new rotation?

"It is now," Tocchet said.

Tocchet has been employing a merit system that rewards ice time to players who perform in games and practice, and he extended that to his shootout rotation.

The regular shootout rotation had been Jokinen, captain Vinny Lecavalier and Marty St. Louis. Hall got the chance because he won a shootout competition during practice. Artyukhin had an exceptional game Friday in regulation.

Expanding further on the subject, though, Tocchet conceded that the team's top scorers generally will get the call in shootouts.

"It's like with baseball," he said. "You have your best hitter and he's going through a slump. You still want him up there with the bases loaded. ... But I just felt that a couple of guys have really been struggling, and I think it's a mental thing. Maybe another guy scoring goals would get them to relax."

The Lightning have been leaving a lot of points on the table by losing shootouts. After going 27-11 in overtime and shootout games and making the playoffs in 2005-2006 and 2006-2007, Tampa Bay was 7-16 (including 4-7 in shootouts) the past two seasons entering Saturday's rematch with Florida.

Friday's victory was an indication the Lightning could start picking up some of those points.

KRAJICEK OUT: The Lightning recalled D Matt Smaby on an emergency basis from AHL Norfolk on Saturday - a precursor to Lukas Krajicek being a scratch with a day-to-day upper-body injury.

Smaby, who is 6-foot-5, 220 pounds, skated in two games with the Lightning earlier this month, averaged 10:02 of ice time and recorded two penalty minutes.

ARTYUKHIN SIGHTING: How does a 6-5, 254-pound Russian disappear? Artyukhin has done it several times this year.

The imposing right wing has been an enigma. He was a healthy scratch Dec. 18 against Colorado and Dec. 20 against Atlanta after a stretch of quiet games. But he played well in the Lightning's 2-0 victory at Pittsburgh on Tuesday and had one of his better games Friday against the Panthers.

In fact, he was a force against the Panthers, registering six hits and a goal while getting into fights with Nick Tarnasky and Nick Boynton.

"He's a menace if he plays like that," Tocchet said of Artyukhin. "It's the difference of him being a guy who can make a lot of money in this league and being a valuable player for your team to being a guy who's in and out of the lineup."

Artyukhin, who also had a first-period goal Saturday, said he tries to be a physical presence in every game, but for one reason or another hasn't always been able to make an impact.

BOLTS NUGGETS: The South Carolina and Iowa football teams, in town for Thursday's Outback Bowl, got to taste some Florida hockey. ... Ten thousand fans received Steven Stamkos mini-bobblehead dolls. "My family's in town, so I'm sure they picked up a couple," the rookie said. ... Tampa Bay plays two of its next three games at home before embarking on a five-game January trip to Atlanta, Phoenix, Anaheim, Los Angeles and San Jose.

Tony Fabrizio

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