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Sending A Message To Vrbata

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: October 19, 2008

TAMPA - Five games into the season and one of Tampa Bay's free agent summer boons has been a bust.

Saturday, RW Radim Vrbata watched the Lightning's 1-0 shootout loss to Minnesota from the press box as a healthy scratch. In the first four games, Vrbata, who signed a three-year contract worth $9 million, has zero points and 10 shots on goal while averaging more than 13 minutes of ice time. Last season with Phoenix, Vrbata scored a career-high 27 goals.

"Vrbata hasn't been giving us what we hoped," Lightning coach Barry Melrose said. "Vrbata has played four exhibition games and four regular-season games now and he hasn't got a goal and hardly any scoring chances. So the message has to start going to the guys, you start giving us what we want or you are going to be out of the lineup, and that goes for everybody."

David Koci took Vrbata's spot in the lineup, but 31 seconds into his first shift he was called for holding and then 10 seconds after he came out of the penalty box was whistled for an interference call.

MALIK NOT READY: D Marek Malik, who was considered to possibly be available to play Saturday, needs to improve his conditioning before he is ready to make his Lightning debut. He is expected to sign a prorated one-year contract when he is ready, and will likely do so as soon as Monday.

"Skating every day isn't like pushing yourself every day," Melrose said. "He'll have a good skate today, he'll have a good skate on Monday, so Tuesday is something we're looking at. But again, his conditioning will determine that."

SPECIAL MASK: Lightning G Mike Smith unveiled a special "Saw V" mask in advance of the film's nationwide opening Friday.

The mask, which features characters from the movie franchise on either side of the mask and the depiction of a chain hanging down holding a drawn-on mouth open, will be auctioned off on the "Saw V" website, www.saw5.com, to benefit the Lightning foundation.

G Olie Kolzig will also wear a commemorative "Saw V" mask, likely Tuesday against the Atlanta Thrashers, which will be auctioned off to benefit Athletes for Autism.

Erik Erlendsson

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