Tocchet wants Bolts to control emotions for home opener

With the Tampa Bay Lightning taking to home ice for the first time tonight, head coach Rick Tocchet wants everybody to play within themselves as they face the New Jersey Devils.

The excitement of opening night often puts pressure on players to put on a show for the home fans, which Tocchet said is fine unless that gets the team out of its game plan.

"Everything is heightened so it can go one of two ways," Tocchet said. "If you try too hard and you're out of position, then the next thing you know you are in trouble. Or you can control your emotion, and the game tonight is about battles and puck races. We know New Jersey is a solid team and you know what you are going to get out of them, so tonight I told the guys treat this game, not like any other game because you want to play hard, but make sure that you are not too keyed up and out of position because that can happen. I've see it before."

Tampa Bay will be facing another winless team as the Devils have dropped their opening two games to Philadelphia and the New York Rangers. New Jersey goaltender Martin Brodeur has already talked of trying to get his confidence together after posting an un-Brodeur like 4.03 goals against average and .849 save percentage in two starts.

"It's a long season, after 82 games I'll tell you how my season was," Brodeur told the Newark Star-Ledger. "Right now it has no bearing. Everybody can be good for two games and everybody can be bad for two games. It's how you do over the length of 82 games."

FOSTER CLOSE: Injured D Kurtis Foster will sit out his second consecutive game with an undisclosed lower-body injury, but he might be ready to return by Saturday.

Foster participated in his second consecutive practice without any setbacks and will practice again on Friday. Foster was told by team doctors that there is no additional damage he could do by playing, it just comes down to dealing with discomfort.

So provided all goes well on Friday, Foster looks like he will be available to face Carolina.

"His chances are a lot better (to play) after today, so he's close," Tocchet said.

FRENCH CONNECTION: RW Stephane Veilleux will move up to a line with C Vinny Lecavalier and LW Alex Tanguay tonight.

After skating with the fourth line for the first two games, Veilleux will swap spots with RW Steve Downie.

"I just think he brought some energy, he's a fast guy that moves up and down the wing," Tocchet said.

HALE, YES: D David Hale will be back in the lineup tonight in place of Foster. Hale will face the team he broke into the league with in the Devils, although he said he doesn't have many connections with the team.

"Maybe the guy I stay in touch with is Paul Martin, but that's probably few and far between," he said.