Vinny excited to be back on St. Louis' line

Lightning coach Rick Tocchet said he split up C Vinny Lecavalier and LW Alex Tanguay because their game had "too much east-west," and he wants Lecavalier to get "uglier" on the ice.

Although nothing is "etched in stone," Tocchet said, Tanguay has been dropped to the third line for Thursday's home game against San Jose. Lecavalier, who is scoreless this season, will share the No. 1 line with longtime teammate Marty St. Louis and rookie James Wright.

Asked after Monday's non-ice workout why he thinks Lecavalier and Tanguay haven't clicked, Tocchet suggested their play was too finesse-oriented.

"I think a lot of their game was too much east-west," he said. "I've talked to Vinny, and if you look at all the guys who've had great starts - the same guys who had great years last year ... their goals are north-south type of hockey.

"We need those guys (Lecavalier and Tanguay) to get a goal around the net. I think we're always setting up for some big shot, where those guys have to get a little uglier, and they know it. I told Vinny he's got to get uglier. He's got to get those goals in front of the net. He's got to get a deflection goal."

Tocchet said Lecavalier and Tanguay may have thought they could "dance around and make some fancy passes" and that Tanguay sometimes "over-handles" the puck.

"For me, it's just get the puck in deep (and) use your speed," the coach said. "I really want him to take guys on one-on-one, because he's a very good one-on-one player. But knowing the game and when to do it. And shoot the puck. I mean, good things happen when you're shooting the puck."

Lecavalier took no exception to Tocchet's analysis and offered no other theory to explain why he and Tanguay haven't produced a goal together through seven games.

"We didn't produce, and sometimes if you don't produce five-on-five, by changing lines, it clicks," he said. "Maybe we'll come back together and things will be great. So it's not like we'll never play together again. I just think it didn't start out well and our confidence wasn't great."

Lecavalier allowed that being reunited with St. Louis could help his confidence and improve his comfort level. St. Louis had been playing on the highly effective second line with Ryan Malone and Steven Stamkos.

"I love playing with Marty," Lecavalier said. "I had the best two years of my career with him. So I'm excited to be back with him, and I'm sure it's going to go well."

Likely Smith

Tocchet said No. 1 G Mike Smith probably will be in net Thursday night after having one of his best practices Sunday.

Smith is 0-2 with two additional shootout losses and a goals-against average of 4.08, while his backup, Antero Niittymaki, is 2-1 with a 2.70 GAA. Niittymaki took the loss in Saturday's 4-1 defeat at Pittsburgh, and Smith had a tough outing in Thursday's 7-1 loss at Ottawa.

Odds and ends

GM Brian Lawton was not available Monday to discuss the closed-door postgame tongue-lashing he gave the team after Saturday night's loss. ... Lecavalier said the team will respond positively to the unusual address. "The coaches and the GM are not happy, so we'll make sure that next game, we come out the way we did in maybe our second or third game," he said. "If we do that, good things will happen." ... D Matt Smaby, who suffered an upper-body injury on a blindside hit last week while playing for AHL Norfolk, will undergo a medical evaluation today. The player who delivered the hit, Albany's Nicolas Blanchard, was suspended for one game.

Tony Fabrizio