Clark has quick return

The pain experienced by D Brett Clark late in Tampa Bay's game against Carolina on Monday night proved to be instantaneous and among the worst he has experienced in his career.

Late in the third period of the Lightning's 5-1 victory, Clark went to block a shot by Hurricanes RW Sergei Samsonov. As he stood to get in the path of the shot, the puck struck Clark between his legs, sending the 33-year-old to the ice. After several moments, Clark was able to get up under his own power and head toward the locker room.

After the game Clark was sent to a hospital as a precaution, but Lightning coach Guy Boucher offered up the quick diagnosis.

"He, well, he got hit where it hurts," Boucher said. "But the good news is they counted and there are still two."

Two days later, Clark was back in the lineup.

"That's the most painful and it lingers. It's excruciating at the time and it lingers for a long time," said Clark, who led the Lightning with 69 blocked shots entering the game. "Arms and legs, that stuff you can live with and move. But this is all part of the game. You just have to work through it."

Clark said all the tests taken at the hospital checked out fine.

"Now we'll just play it by ear. Now it's just about time, time for it to get better," Clark said. "All we can do is ice it down. There's not really any other treatment for it."

Good to go

LW Ryan Malone was in the lineup Wednesday night after missing the third period Monday and sitting out practice Tuesday with an undisclosed upper-body injury.

Malone was held out for precautionary reasons, and he said the extra time off helped.

"I had just a little pain before (Monday's) game, so it was all a precaution," Malone said. "The extra time allowed some time for some extra treatment and it feels good now."

The 31-year-old has been on a roll offensively, picking up four goals and 12 points in the previous 10 games before facing the Islanders. Malone scored a power-play goal for his 10th goal of the season in the first period Wednesday.

More from Moore

After scoring five goals in his first nine games, C Dominic Moore went through an 18-game drought from Nov. 11-Dec. 18.

Although not known for his offensive output, Moore-- who missed six games with a groin injury in early November - felt relieved when his backhand shot found the net in the first period Monday against Carolina.

"It felt good to be able to contribute, but it's just one of those things where the bounces don't go your way sometimes, and sometimes they do," Moore said.

Though Moore entered Wednesday with a team-worst minus-16 rating, that number is more reflective of a lack of offense than poor defensive play.

"He was getting chances, he just wasn't putting them in and he looked like he was getting a little impatient," Boucher said. "He's a guy that has so much jump. He's great on penalty kill, but he's more than that because five-on-five he's first on pucks, he drives, he skates, takes defensemen deep, so you want to get rewarded for all that hard work. I was happy for him last game."

Nuts and Bolts

RW Mattias Ritola said new ear plugs helped alleviate any pain during the team's charter flight to New York on Tuesday, with only a minimal amount of discomfort after the team landed. He was available to play and took part in pregame warm-ups but was a scratch for the sixth consecutive game. ... LW Johan Harju, up on emergency recall because of injuries, was a scratch.