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Carle Finding His Niche

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By ERIK ERLENDSSON | The Tampa Tribune

Published: November 4, 2008

BRANDON - When the rubber hit the twine, Lightning defenseman Matt Carle never saw the puck go in.

Carle very well may have forgotten the feeling associated with lighting the lamp.

It had been a long time coming for Carle to plant a puck in the back of the net, dating to Dec. 29, 2007, when the 24-year-old was with the San Jose Sharks. But his goal Saturday against Ottawa with less than seven minutes remaining tied the game and allowed the Lightning to win the game in a shootout.

For a player often labeled as an offensive defenseman - Carle had 11 goals and 42 points as a rookie before adding two goals in 11 playoff games - that kind of a scoring drought is tough to accept.

"It was nice to get me off the snide a little bit," Carle said. "But I don't think I was having a great game up to that point, so to be able to chip in and contribute like that made me feel pretty good and helped us out overall."

There may have been a point during his brief time in the NHL that Carle may have let the lack of offensive production get inside his head. After all, the former Hobey Baker Award winner as the top collegiate player enjoyed solid offensive numbers throughout his career, including 53 points in 2006 during his last season at the University of Denver.

But Carle learned a valuable lesson last season as he struggled to stay in San Jose's lineup and out of Sharks coach Ron Wilson's doghouse - there has to be a balance between both ends of the ice, even if it means a nod in his own end.

"I think my game has changed a little bit since my rookie season," Carle said. "I don't think I jump up into the play as much and I'm not as relied upon as heavily as I was my rookie year to provide that offense. It's something I would like to get back to start doing, but at the same time, we are defensemen first and we try to take care of our own end. So if my offense lacks and my defense picks up, that's fine."

Carle very well may be in the middle of that evolution phase a lot of young defensemen experience, as he continues to figure out how to balance both sides of the ice.

"An offensive defenseman, if the offense goes south then all of a sudden you are no good to your team," Lightning coach Barry Melrose said. "Whereas a good all-around defenseman who gets points, also plays a lot of minutes defensively, then you become pretty valuable and you are in the lineup.

"And I think Matt wants to be judged as an all-around defenseman and not just an offensive guy. He wants to play those tough minutes."

Reporter Erik Erlendsson can be reached at (813) 259-7835.

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