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Defense Turns Up Offense

The Tampa Tribune

Published: January 23, 2009

TAMPA - For the better part of the past two seasons, if the dynamic duo of Vinny Lecavalier and Marty St. Louis didn't produce offense, Tampa Bay had difficulty scoring.

But in Wednesday's 5-3 win against Buffalo, neither Lecavalier nor St. Louis factored into the scoring - only the second time this season the Lightning scored at least four goals with neither star getting a goal or an assist.

"I think the way our team has been playing over the last few weeks ... we're getting goals as a team, and sometimes it might not be St. Louis and Lecavalier that are scoring, but they're tilting the ice for the next line out there," C Jeff Halpern said.

Against the Sabres it was three defensemen picking up the pace. Entering the game, Tampa Bay had eight goals all season from the defense, and Wednesday marked the first time the Lightning received more than one goal in a game by a defenseman.

"I think now, with the rule changes, it helps to keep pucks alive and have defensemen jump up in the play and create chances that way," said D Cory Murphy, who has a goal and two assists since being claimed on re-entry waivers Monday from Florida.

FEELING OLD-SCHOOL: Four-time Stanley Cup champion Claude Lemieux returned to the NHL on Tuesday with San Jose. Lemieux, 43, was a second-round draft pick of Montreal in 1983, the same year Lightning general manager Brian Lawton was the first overall pick by the Minnesota North Stars and when Lightning interim coach Rick Tocchet was chosen by the Philadelphia Flyers with the 125th overall pick.

NUTS AND BOLTS: The team officially assigned D Ty Wishart and RW Steve Downie to AHL Norfolk. Wishart is expected to be brought back up before Tuesday's game against Montreal. Downie could rejoin the team, although he is scheduled to play in Monday's AHL All-Star Game. ... The next edition of "Inside the Lightning" begins airing Tuesday at 10:30 p.m. on Sun Sports. This month's feature looks at the aspects of game-day preparation. ... Former Lightning chief operating officer Sean Henry, who resigned in December, has been hired as a full-time business consultant. ... G Riku Helenius, who had been with Norfolk the past month, was reassigned to Mississippi of the East Coast Hockey League.

Erik Erlendsson

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