Season's Final Stretch Important For Bolts

With the anxiousness of trade deadline day alleviated, the Lightning jumped back on the ice and got back to work Thursday in preparation for tonight's game against St. Louis.

There had been plenty of rumors and whispers of the roster possibly being ripped apart, but General Manager Brian Lawton made only minor moves. With a roster filled with plenty of front-line talent, Lawton opted to keep the core intact.

After suffering through another difficult season that has Tampa Bay jockeying for draft lottery positioning instead of a playoff spot, the Lightning want to use the final 18 games of the season to build a foundation for next season.

Players such as captain Vinny Lecavalier and Marty St. Louis, the two lone remnants of the 2004 championship team, along with Ryan Malone, Vinny Prospal and Jeff Halpern need to be at the forefront of trying to establish a different attitude during the season's final six weeks.

"I think with those guys, it starts as early as today to establish that foundation. You don't wake up on July 1 and say it's time to be that leader - it starts now," Lightning interim coach Rick Tocchet said. "We have to figure out the mistakes that we made this year and how do we get better, as players, as coaches and as an organization."

Tampa Bay's spiral back to the bottom of the standings can be largely attributed to injuries, including season-ending shoulder surgeries for Paul Ranger and Andrej Meszaros along with the concussion suffered by goaltender Mike Smith. A lack of continuity hasn't helped, either, as recently acquired defenseman Noah Welch will be the 18th different player used on the blue line this season when he makes his Lightning debut tonight.

Halpern said there are no excuses for anybody pulling the chute on the remaining games.

"You always want to win," he said. "There are a lot of guys playing for jobs, there are guys here who have been here all year who have battled hard for our team that are still trying to assert themselves. Myself coming back from an injury and continuing to improve, for Vinny and Marty to continue to work, they've put a lot of effort and sweat into this organization and I don't think anybody wants to see it get kicked around."

Halpern said there is a lot to look forward to next season.

"You look at the trade deadline and I felt that we were going to lose guys like Marty, Bugsy Malone, so you can almost look at it like we gained three unbelievable players going into next year just keeping those guys. You have Smitty coming back healthy, and he's the big piece where you build from, and if you put a good team in front of him, I think he can do well."