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Taylor Back On Ice, But Is Unsure About Return

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By ERIK ERLENDSSON | The Tampa Tribune

Published: February 13, 2008

TAMPA - Toward the end of the Lightning stick rack was a lone piece of graphite resting against the wall. The name etched on the side of the shaft belonged to Lightning captain Tim Taylor.

Five months after major hip surgery, Taylor took his first real strides toward possibly returning to the lineup, skating for about 30 minutes Tuesday before Tampa Bay held its morning skate. It was the first time Taylor took the ice at the Forum since the Lightning were eliminated from the playoffs by New Jersey in April.

With eight weeks left in the season, Taylor said he has not eliminated the possibility of returning this season. He said there is a chance he could return to practice sometime in the next few weeks.

"I'm not going to rule anything out, yes or no, at this point," said Taylor, who went home to Ontario to skate for five days to test his hip before thinking about a return. "I knew that I had to start pushing myself if I want to give myself a chance to return. I feel good right now.

"I'll do this for a few more days. Next week I'll work with strength coach Eric Lawson doing some stuff on ice for strength, and I'll go from there."

ROY RETURNS: After a three-game sabbatical in the press box following a heated exchange on the bench with Lightning coach John Tortorella on Feb. 2, LW Andre Roy returned to the lineup Tuesday.

"I want to just play the same way I was playing before, but just make sure I keep my emotions in check," Roy said before the game.

After getting out of the doghouse, it didn't take long for Roy to find his way back in. On his second shift of the game Roy took an offensive zone interference penalty at 9:30 that led to Montreal's second goal. He didn't play again.

Neither Roy nor Tortorella commented, but Tortorella said, "you guys can figure it out" after the game.

LINEUP CHANGES: As Roy returned to the lineup, D Brad Lukowich missed Tuesday's game with what the team is calling an abdominal/groin injury, although the team did not reveal specifics. Lukowich left Saturday's game in Atlanta in the second period and missed Monday's practice.

C Andreas Karlsson, who was scheduled to be in the lineup, was excused by Lightning GM Jay Feaster, who cited personal reasons for Karlsson's absence. That paved the way for RW Michel Ouellet, who was slated to be a healthy scratch, to stay in the lineup and score his seventh goal of the season.

NUTS AND BOLTS: Former Bolts first-round pick D Andy Rogers was in town Tuesday to have his ailing back examined by team doctors. Rogers had an MRI and a bone scan in Norfolk. ... A fan in Section 128 was taken out of the building on a stretcher after being struck with a puck. The Lightning had no additional information at press time. ... Montreal RW Tom Kostopoulos, who was one of two Canadiens players arrested outside Whiskey Park on South Howard Avenue early Monday, was a scratch for the game. The other player, D Ryan O'Byrne, was in the lineup because D Roman Hamrlik (strep throat) missed his fourth straight game.

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