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Ranger Cleared To Return

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By ERIK ERLENDSSON The Tampa Tribune

The Tampa Tribune

Published: October 15, 2008

BRANDON - Tampa Bay's defense will receive a big boost for Thursday's game against the New York Islanders with the return of Paul Ranger.

Ranger flew to Birmingham, Ala., on Monday for a checkup with James Andrews, who performed surgery to repair a torn labrum in Ranger's right shoulder during the offseason. After missing all of the preseason and the first three games of the regular season, Ranger has received full medical clearance to return to the lineup.

"I can't wait to get back out there," Ranger said after practice on Tuesday at the Ice Sports Forum. The shoulder "feels really comfortable, and I feel ready to go. I tested it in practice Tuesday with some hits in the corner. Obviously, a game is different from practice, but I feel that I've battled hard in practice and it feels really good."

Lightning coach Barry Melrose said the defense will only benefit from Ranger's return.

"Arguably, he's our best defenseman," Melrose said of Ranger. "Any team, if you lose your best defenseman, it affects you. Now, he's not going to be 100 percent when he comes back. He's in great shape and he'll work very hard, but no matter how much you practice, the game happens so fast, and that will be the difference for him."

With Ranger back, Thursday will mark the fourth different defensive alignment the team has incorporated in four games this season. Melrose said he hasn't decided who Ranger will replace in the lineup.

Seen Stamkos?

Rookie and No. 1 overall draft pick Steven Stamkos has played in just three games, but the team's second-line center has logged double-digits of ice time once in those three games. In Saturday's loss to Carolina, he took only nine shifts in the game, for just over six minutes of ice time, in some part because of the nine penalties the Lightning were called for and the seven power plays Carolina gave Tampa Bay.

Melrose, who plans to work Stamkos into a power-play rotation, said he would like to give Stamkos 12-15 minutes a night.

"We want to put him into situations where he will succeed, but I also have to get him on the ice more than six minutes," Melrose said.

Nuts & Bolts

LW Jason Ward was activated from injured reserve over the weekend, while LW Ryan Craig, who suffered a groin strain last week, was placed on the injured list. ... With 22 active players on the roster, no corresponding move is required in order to activate Ranger. But if the team signs free-agent D Marek Malik this week as expected, a move will have to be made.

Erik Erlendsson

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