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Roy Enthused By Career Night

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: January 20, 2008

OTTAWA - The Andre Roy reunion tour rolled into Canada's capital Saturday night for the second game of a two-game road trip against both of his former teams.

Against Pittsburgh, which placed him on waivers last season in the second year of a three-year deal, Roy had a career night Friday with a goal and two assists. On Saturday night, Roy faced off against the team he broke into the NHL with, the Ottawa Senators.

But heading into Saturday's game, Lightning coach John Tortorella said it was important for Roy not to let Friday's offensive output get into his head and make the rugged Roy think he's the next coming of Wayne Gretzky.

"There's a big reason why he's having the success right now - because in the last little while here he has given us some pretty good minutes," Tortorella said. "And the reason he is here is because he can be an effective player."

Roy gets noticed for his fisticuffs, and his name is often chanted by crowds at home ice hoping to see him drop the gloves.

"People will come up to me all the time and tell me they like the fighting, but I know I can do more than just that," he said. "Obviously, I'm kind of excited about the game I played Friday."

But after hearing that Roy jokingly talked about doing spin-o-ramas and toe-drag moves, Tortorella shot back, "He'll be doing it from the bench."

It's all about keeping things simple.

IN A SLUMP: Roy's contributions were even more important to Friday's victory considering that C Vinny Lecavalier entered Saturday having gone four games without registering a point and five games without a goal. The four-game pointless streak, his longest since Nov. 22-27, 2005, ended with an empty-netter against Ottawa.

"I want to get out of this funk," Lecavalier said before the game. "I need a little something, I need to get a goal off a pad or something like that. It seems like I haven't had anything good happen the past four games. ... I need to go out and make it happen."

Lecavalier said he felt like he didn't have his usual jump Friday: "I couldn't get to loose pucks and it always seemed like I was the second one in, and when that happens, nothing good happens. I just have to stay positive and keep trying to work."

NUTS AND BOLTS: C/LW Andreas Karlsson was a healthy scratch for the fifth consecutive game. ... Ottawa played without injured stars C Daniel Alfredsson (hip flexor) and LW Dany Heatley (separated shoulder). ... Tortorella coached his 505th career game, one short of tying Herb Brooks' record for most games coached by an American. ... The Ottawa crowd booed Tampa Bay loudly in the final 20 seconds of the first period as the Lightning played a game of keepaway behind the Tampa Bay net until the buzzer.

Erik Erlendsson

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