This and that from the morning skate

Chris Gratton's right eye is so sensitive, the contact lens that was supposed to cover his corneal abrasion could not be put in. The lens was not supposed to correct his blurry vision and depth perception problems but was supposed to help the scar tissue heal quicker. Needless to say, Gratton will not play tonight against the Red Wings.

Neither will Vinny Lecavalier, Marty St. Louis, Jason Ward or Brad Richards. In fact, the Lightning called up center Justin Keller from AHL Norfolk to play so they could give those guys the night off. GM Jay Feaster characterized it as giving a bunch of bumps and bruises another two days to heal up so what likely will be the bulk of the team coming out of camp can play the preseason finale Saturday in Dallas. He said all would have been playing if it was the regular season.

Dan Boyle skated for the first time since a skate fell on his left arm Saturday in the locker room and severed three tendons in his left wrist. He said he is off pain medication, though the wound still hurts pretty badly.

Comments

[Mike13]

Looking forward to seeing the defense and goalies to see if anybody steps up.

Also looking forward to seeing Darche and Karlsson some more...as well as Ouellet.

Glad to read that Mr. Boyle is back on his skates (instead of the other way around).

[aggie]

Hmmm.....a corneal abrasion usually heals rather quickly (4-5 days) so this must be unusually severe. And yes, it is extremely sensitive and uncomforatble during the healing process.

[Lightning rod]

Who is the Lightning's eye doctor, or do they have one? I know how sensitive your eyes are, from a slight drop of caustic water years ago. That pain sure impressed me. I could be wrong; but aren't there simple and readily available drops to de-sensitise an eye for a period of time. I am not a doctor, but can't they put those drops in Gratton's eye, and then put the lenses in? Just a thought.

If the team and it's trainers are wondering, if Gratton's eye condition is more serious than previously thought, then why wait, get him back here for treatment with a good eye specialist. Aggie's comment is right on point. It's the preseason for god's sake, and Gratton appears to need re-evaluation and treatment now, surely not later. You don't deal with eye issues on a tough-it-out basis, like recovering from a rough check to the boards. I sure hope that the team and/or Gratton are not dealing with his eye issue in that type of manner.

[DrPhilnot]

It does sound more serious than a basic corneal abrasion. Why are they putting a lens on it if he's not playing? It heals much faster exposed to air. I had a corneal abrasion and it disappeared in days. It doesn't feel great but Gratton is a tough guy so I doubt it's a discomfort issue. I tend to agree with you that the injury is more severe or they don't know what they're doing and should remove the lens.

[mbab]

last week we had financial experts.com,....today we have marcus welby. m.d.....i stopped reading the funnuies and stick to lightning strikes for my funnies in life....i think some of you bloggers must be akin to the dalai lama or is it deli llama???ya crack me up!!!

[kronos]

mbab, you need to shut your piehole. Some people learn from life experience. It's obvious you haven't. Just about everyone on here has many interests and life experiences outside of hockey. Again, you're the exception.
When you only listen to whom you think are "experts", you're spoonfed pablum and your brain turns to mush. Go see a neurologist.

[mbab]

it was a joke....somebody is wound a little to tight...i read my blog over a few times and i thought it was a "poor" attempt at humor....no need to be nasty...remember we are all trying to be nice ont his site....love ya kronie....i mean kronos

[wiggy]

Just a tip for ALL (and this applies to e-mail too unless you know the person well).....Sarcasm doesn't come across nearly as well with the written word (over the web) as it does verbally in person.