Injuries start stacking up for Bolts

Tampa Bay's transaction wire moved as much Saturday as it has all year.

Injuries to C Jeff Halpern and LW Todd Fedoruk forced the two onto the injured reserve list after Lightning coach Rick Tocchet said each could miss at least two weeks with unspecified "lower body" injuries suffered Wednesday against Philadelphia. The moves were made retroactive to Wednesday, meaning each are eligible to come off before the Jan. 2 game against Pittsburgh.

In addition, D Matt Walker was placed on injured reserve with a lower body injury suffered Dec. 18 in St. Louis.

Entering the game, the Lightning had lost just 21 man games because of injury.

"Every team goes through it," Tocchet said of injuries. "Other guys get a chance, so they have to make the most of their opportunity, make it count."

With the pair of forwards out of the lineup, D Mike Lundin was recalled from Norfolk of the American Hockey League, while David Hale was moved from defense to play on the fourth line.

Tocchet said Lundin was brought up to add some speed and to add some offensive skill to the defense, which entered with only 11 goals and 34 assists from the blue line, among the lowest in the league.

"We need some more puck movement back there, and he's somebody that might be able to supply us with that back there, he might give us a little more offense," Tocchet said.

Lundin, who was in Minnesota with family when he received the call on Christmas Eve, responded with his first career goal at the 4:44 mark of the second period when he stole a puck at center ice and jumped into the play to redirect a pass from C Vinny Lecavalier. The goal for Lundin came in his 111th career game.

"I saw the puck there (at center ice) kind of bobbling, so I grabbed and fed it to Vinny and realized by then I was in the rush, so I just kept going toward the net and just kind of directed it into the net," Lundin said. "There was a sense of relief. Your dream is to first make the NHL and then after that it's scoring your first goal in the NHL, so that was special."

Away from action

G Antero Niittymaki, who is 14-0 lifetime against Atlanta, missed Saturday's game to be with his wife, who gave birth to the couple's second child. Daughter Alina Josefina weighed 5 pounds, 3 ounces and was 18 inches long when she was born around 7 p.m. at St. Joseph's Hospital.

Tocchet wasn't sure if Niittymaki would be back in time for Monday's game against Boston. With Niittymaki out, the team called up G Riku Helenius from Norfolk to serve as the backup to Mike Smith.

Nuts and bolts

Sweden is expected to name its Olympic hockey roster today, with D Mattias Ohlund and Victor Hedman candidates to be named to the team that will compete in Vancouver in February. ... Zenon Konopka will sign autographs today from 4 to 6 p.m. at the Bealls department store at 3140 Tampa Road in Oldsmar. ... Tampa Bay has allowed the first goal in seven consecutive games. ... Lightning prospect RW Richard Panik notched a goal for Slovakia in a 7-3 loss to the United States on Saturday in the World Junior Championships in Saskatchewan. Panik was a second-round pick in 2009 and plays for Windsor of the Ontario Hockey League.