Where do Lightning go from here?

The Lightning's 4-2 loss to the Flyers this afternoon combined with the Capitals' win over Ottawa puts Tampa Bay in sole possession of last place in the Eastern Conference.

Has this team hit rock bottom? Not necessarily. Yes, the Lightning played much better today than it had recently, but regardless it ended with another loss (And take note, the Flyers aren't a very good team either right now. They hadn't won back-to-back games since Nov. 10 and 12). And with a four-game road trip to Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa and New York looming, this could become worse quickly, especially given the team's disastrous play on the road.

But at this point, not much is going to change, at least in terms of personnel. In Sunday's Times, you'll read that general manager Jay Feaster said after today's game that the Lightning won't make a significant trade -- meaning Tampa Bay won't break up Vinny Lecavalier, Brad Richards and Marty St. Louis -- while negotiatings to sell the team are ongoing.

"I think the answers for now have to come from within," Feaster said, "certainly until we get a resolution with the sale situation. The one thing we’re not going to do is move the big three. Right now, that’s just something that’s a non-starter. It’s just not going to happen."

More Feaster:

"Could we go out and move draft pics?" he added. "Everyone’s looking for first-round draft picks, but for a team that’s six games under right now and 15th in the East, this isn’t the time to be dealing with first-round draft picks unless it’s a real sure thing.”

"We’re making phone calls. We’re watching the waiver wires, but nobody’s lining to help now. Nobody’s looking to give us a deal to say, 'Hey that’s the one. It doesn’t cost us an asset and let’s jump on that one."

So what should the Lightning do?

Denis clears waivers; will report to Norfolk

As expected, goaltender Marc Denis cleared waivers at 12:01 p.m. today and has been re-assigned to the Lightning's AHL affiliate in Norfolk.

Denis told the Times Friday night that he would accept his assignment to Norfolk and look at it as a "new beginning."

He will join the Admirals on the road in Wilkes-Barre, Pa., where is expected to start on Monday.

Just a personal side note about Denis, things obviously didn't go well for him here. Whether he truly got a chance to prove himself this season is up for discussion. To his credit, in the dressing room, you could tell he was frustrated, but he never took it out on anyone. 

On a day when general manager Jay Feaster wasn't made available to the media, Denis answered his personal cell phone on what was probably the most difficult day of his hockey career and talked very candidly about his situation and even offered some parting words before we hung up with each other.

"You'll see me again," he said

Also of note, Lightning coach John Tortorella switched up his lines for today's game against the Flyers, playing Chris Gratton and Marty St. Louis on Brad Richards' line and pairing center Vinny Lecavalier with Vinny Prospal and Mathieu Darche.

Denis placed on waivers

The Lightning placed goaltender Marc Denis on waivers this morning, hours after the holiday roster freeze ended.

If Denis clears waivers after a 24-hour period, he will be re-assigned to AHL Norfolk, which will give him the opportunity to play regularly and possibly prompt a new start with another team.

It became likely that the Lightning would make the move last week when it promoted 21-year-old goaltender Karri Ramo and made him its starter. Denis was a healthy scratch in all four games since Ramo's arrival.

If a team claims him on waivers, it would be responsible for the remainder of the $2.8 million salary this year and the entirety of next season's salary, which is also around $2.8 million.

After Denis clears waivers, the Lightning can place Denis on re-entry waivers, at which time an acquiring team would be responsible for just half of his remaining 2007-08 salary and half of next season's salary.

Lightning general manager Jay Feaster, who had exhausted all trade possibilities with no success, was not made available for comment after Friday's practice.

When Feaster brought Denis before the 2006-07 season, acquiring him in a offseason trade with Columbus, the Lightning believed it acquired the goaltending it had been missing since losing Nikolai Khabibulin in free-agency. But Denis was inconsistent last year and eventually lost the starting job to Johan Holmqvist, bottoming out when Denis didn't make the Lightning's first-round playoff active roster.

Denis hoped this year would be different, but Holmqvist won the starting job. And when both goalies struggled, the team promoted Ramo, and at that point something had to budge.

Lightning coach John Tortorella applauded Denis for the way he handled a difficult situation.

"He’s not happy," Tortorella said. "He’s not happy with me. He’s not happy with a number of different things. But he’s never brought that to the workplace and let that affect other people. That’s the most important thing."

Boyle cleared to skate

Injured Lightning defenseman Dan Boyle's check-up visit with renowned hand surgeon Dr. Thomas J. Graham today in Baltimore went well, and Boyle has been cleared to return to skating immediately.

"Dan is progressing nicely," Lightning general manager Jay Feaster said in a statement. "He has been cleared to begin skating and will be working on a multi-phase on-ice and off-ice rehabilitation program."

No timetable was set for Boyle's return, Feaster said, as per team policy.

MacDonald, Lukowich return

Center Craig MacDonald and defenseman Brad Lukowich will return to the Lightning lineup tonight against the Caps in Washington.

MacDonald suffered a scary injury Thursday, taking a puck in the mouth and fracturing nine teeth and needing 50 stitches to his mouth. Lukowich was nursing a bum shoulder.

MacDonald will play with a shield to protect his face.

Karri Ramo will be in goal.

MacDonald will sit

Guess it as too much to ask of Craig MacDonald after taking a puck in the mouth, losing nine teeth and getting his tongue and lower lip stitched back together to expect him to play. But it wasn't official until today that he would sit out tonight's game against the Hurricanes.

He actually sounds better than you would think. His speech is a little slurred considering the swelling and stitching and lack of teeth. But he was fairly upbeat while talking in the hallway outside the Lightning locker room after the morning skate.

"No Christmas pictures,'' he joked.

MacDonald said getting hit like that was the worst thing he ever has gone through, worse, even, than when someone skated over his hand. He said he remembers the entire thing and knew there was a real problem after he felt around in his mouth and didn't feel anything, as in no teeth. He also said four nerves in his upper gum were exposed.

He said he can still eat as long as the food is chopped up small because he can still chew with his back teeth. But with his tongue a mess, he said transferring the food from the front of his mouth to the back is a bit of a chore.

So, MacDonald sits. But Chris Gratton, who has missed only three games seems as if he'll play. Karri Ramo, too, as if you didn't know.

This is gruesome

An update on center Craig MacDonald, who had to leave Thursday's game after being hit in the mouth with a wrist shot from Maple Leafs defenseman Hal Gill.

The team said on Friday MacDonald lost nine teeth, five cleanly while four were shaved in half. He received about 50 stitches to his tongue and the inside of his lower lip, and a few more on his chin.

As if that weren't enough, Friday morning he needed three root canals.

Amazing that given all that damage he skated himself off the ice and is still listed as possible for Saturday's game. Hey, he's a hockey player.

Keeping the core

I know we've gone through this before, but just a reminder of what the negotiations between Oren Koules and Palace Sports & Entertainment mean to the Lightning roster. I guess the best way to say it is everything ... and nothing.

General manager Jay Feaster has said one of the reasons Koules wants the Lightning is the core players of Vinny Lecavalier, Marty St. Louis, Brad Richards and Dan Boyle. If that is the case, and I believe that it is, it would be foolish for the Lightning, no matter how it struggles, to make deals for any of those players while negotiations are ongoing. So view with skepticism anything you read or hear concerning trade rumors about those guys as long as the sides are talking.

Boyle, of course, is a different story because of his injury and because could be an unrestricted free agent, though it would seem he fits into the broader notion of trying to keep the core together.

Oh, and, by the way, the Norfolk Admirals web site and the Lightning's Thursday game notes (and my story today) had Karrie Ramo's last name pronounced RAY-moh. Wrong, the goalie said. It is RAH-moh.

Palace negotiating only with Koules, for now

Lightning owner Palace Sports & Entertainment and prospective owner Oren Koules completed their face-to-face meeting today in Auburn Hills, Mich., and sent out a joint statement in which the company committed to negotiating exclusively with Koules, who heads OK Hockey, in an attempt to get a purchase agreement done by the end of January.

The statement was a clear message to the group of Tampa businesspeople led by attorneys Steve Burton and Tom Scarritt, that Koules, the Hollywood producer, and his group, which includes business partner Mark Burg and California banker Russell Belinsky is the primary candidate to buy the team. That is not to say Palace Sports wouldn't listen to the local group if negotiations with Koules fell apart, but for the time being, Koules is not only in the driver's seat but belted in.

In response, Scarritt said, his group discontinued the meetings it was holding on Wednesday with potential investors and called off additional meetings set for Thursday. In effect, Scarritt, said, their effort is, for now, dead in the water.

It is not believed Koules made an offer in Wednesday's meeting, rather the talks were broad and of generalities. It is the starting point of what still could be a long process. Even after a purchase agreement is signed, the league still must approve the sale and the sale has to close.

The announcement came as the group of local businesspeople held meetings in Tampa about possibly mustering an offer of their own. Also included in those meetings were Coral Springs real estate developer Jeff Sherrin and former NHL executive Doug MacLean. Both were part of Absolute Hockey Enterprises, which, along with Koules, failed in its bid to buy the team, the St. Pete Times Forum lease and 5.5 acres of land near the stadium for $200-million.

In a statement, Palace Sports said, “After very productive discussions today, we are pleased to announce that Palace Sports & Entertainment is entering into an exclusive negotiating period with OK Hockey, LLC, an entity controlled by Oren Koules.  We hope to move forward with a purchase agreement by late January. A subsequent update will be released at that time.”

Koules' statement was, “I am excited that we were able to take such a positive first step today. Most importantly, we established a clear and direct path so that we can now work together towards a definitive agreement as quickly as possible.”

Ramo arrives

Fans who have been waiting for the team to bring up goalie Karri Ramo got their wish today, as the Lightning recalled Ramo and defenseman Jay Leach from Norfolk. Leach has been recalled on an emergency basis, general manager Jay Feaster said in a news release.

Ramo said at practice that he'd been told he would play Thursday night against Toronto.

Ramo, 21, was 2-4 at Norfolk with a 3.33 goals-against average and an .898 save percentage. He was sidelined for several weeks with an ankle injury and returned to action on Dec. 1. The 6-foot-2, 201-pound native of Finland appeared in two games with the Lightning last season, posting a 3.43 goals-against average.   

Ramo played in 45 games with Springfield last season and posted a 3.13 goal-against average, .906 save percentage and one shutout.

Leach, 6-4 and 220 pounds, was signed as a free agent by the Lightning on July 3. He has played 28 games with the Admirals, recording three goals, three assists and 29 penalty minutes. The 28-year-old played 73 games with the Providence Bruins last season, leading the team with 128 penalty minutes. 

    

Is it time for Karri Ramo?

Well, let's see, Johan Holmqvist, the Lightning's No. 1 goalie, has been pulled in three of his past four starts; he allowed three goals on nine shots in the first period against the Thrashers. He and Marc Denis have allowed 28 goals in their past six games, five of which Tampa Bay has lost.

Holmqvist entered Tuesday with an .891 save percentage that was 36th out of 39 listed goaltenders.His 2.94 goals -against average was 34th. The Lightning, as a team, entered Tuesday second to last with a 3.21 goals-against average and last with an .882 save percentage.

We've heard a lot about how Karri Ramo, toiling for AHL Norfolk, is NHL ready. At this point, it doesn't seem like an outrageous idea to give him a chance. Whispers are he would have been up sooner had he not injured his ankle in the first game of the Admirals' season.

A consideration would be whether the organization was willing to have $2.8-million of Marc Denis' salary in the minors. But having Denis play could be the best thing. He could rehabilitate himself in a sense and, perhaps, another team, in time, would claim him on recall waivers for half his salary.

Beyond that, though, perhaps it is time to try to develop Ramo. It's a tough call sometimes when you have a raw talent. You don't want to throw him to the wolves, so to speak, and hurt his confidence and his development if he does not do well. But the word on Ramo, 21, is that he is mentally tough and confident and has the skills.

Maybe it's time to see what he can do in the NHL.

ROSTER FREEZE: The holiday roster freeze goes into effect at midnight Thursday. No roster additions can be made until midnight Dec. 28 except for emergency call-ups because of injury.

 

 

Now Lukowich is hurt

No word on how serious, but the team said defenseman Brad Lukowich has a left shoulder injury. He left the game after one shift of the second period. He will be re-evaluated on Wednesday.

Craig has surgery; out up to 6 months

The Lightning just can’t catch a break when it comes to injuries.

   The team announced that forward Ryan Craig could not sufficiently rehab his injured left knee and could be out up to six months after Tuesday’s surgery to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament and meniscus.

    There is some hope that Craig could be ready if the Lightning made the playoffs.

    Craig, 25, who during the summer was awarded $850,000 in arbitration, was hurt Nov. 24 against the Devils in his seventh game after finally recovering from a preseason herniated disc.

   The surgery was performed by team medical director Ira Guttentag at Tampa's Florida Medical Clinic.

Karlsson gets his chance

Andreas Karlsson has spent the better part of his two seasons with Tampa Bay as a third- or fourth-line center. He has been a bit more involved this season as he has gotten more and more penalty kill time. But his big break apparently has come as he, for a while, anyway, gets to start as a wing on a line with center Brad Richards.

"It's my chance,'' Karlsson said. "I'd better take it.''

The question is, does Karlsson have what it takes. He was one of Sweden's top scorers the season before the Lightning signed him as a free agent. He has proved to be responsible defensively but without much offensive pop. In 18 games entering tonight's matchup with the Thrashers, he has zero goals and one assist. So, what makes coach John Tortorella believe Karlsson can add an offensive spark? Well, for one thing, Tortorella said, Karlsson had three scoring chances Saturday against the Capitals on a night when the team's top players didn't do much better.

"That's why I think he's improved, and that's why I think he ends up getting scoring chances,'' Tortorella said. "He's willing to play in the areas more. He's willing to win the battles in our end zone.''

Richards' line has been a grand experiment the past two seasons trying to find wings who can finish. This season began with Jan Hlavac and Michel Ouellet, and both were huge disappointments. Hlavac was demoted to a line with Jason Ward and Nick Tarnasky. Ouellet was down to the fourth line before separating his left shoulder.

"We just haven't gotten enough from other people with Richy and I think I've waited long enough for things to happen,'' Tortorella said. "Jani is going to go onto a third line and work on his defensive responsibilities and do the little things and maybe some scoring will come off him there and we'll see how it goes.''

As for Karlsson, he said he cannot think about scoring, per se.

"It's focusing on the right things, trying to play simply, concentrating on the details,'' he said.

Do that, he said, and the scoring should take care of itself.''    

Hlavac off Richards' line

It may be for one game. It may be for one shift, but to start Tuesday's game against the Thrashers, it appears that underachieving Jan Hlavac will be off Brad Richards' line and on a line with Jason Ward and Nick Tarnasky. Joining Richards and Darche will be Andreas Karlsson.

Small picture: The moves are spanking to Hlavac who just can't seem to convert the many scoring chances he has had. It also is a bit of a pat on the back to Karlsson who coach John Tortorella said had three scoring chances against the Capitals, one of the few secondary players to achieve anything in that game.

Big picture: Tortorella is desperately looking for a combination that will get more scoring out of his lineup. Consider that Vinny Lecavalier, Vinny Prospal, Marty St. Louis and Brad Richards have accounted for 59 of Tampa Bay's 99 goals. Ten other forwards have accounted for 26.

It is one of the main reasons the team has been outscored 74-60 while playing five-on-five.

Tortorella called it "unacceptable'' that his secondary forwards have not been able to score. It also causes what you got Saturday, when the top guys didn't have great games, there was no one there to pick up the slack and the team lost 3-2.

The move actually has been a long time coming for Hlavac, who, along with Michel Ouellet (both of whom were supposed to be the finishers on Richards' line) have been major disappointments. The real question is Karlsson. The guy has zero goals and one assist. Is he really going to be the answer on the second line? He played well with Richards in the playoffs, so we'll see. Guess it can't be any worse than what has been there as far as production, and Karlsson at least adds a defensive sensibility. That is important because Torts said he wants to use less, if he can, his top guys in all situations, offensively and defensively.

The trouble is, Torts has lost some trust in the secondary guy so he keeps throwing the big guys out there

"This is the dynamic of our club right now,'' Tortorella said. "I'm using all our top players offensively and defensively. We need some other players to step up in certain areas to take some of that. We need people to step up in all areas of the game.''

 

Local ownership?

So, as we read in today's paper, there is a group of Tampa Bay area businesspeople who want to try to mount a bid for the Lightning. Included in the group are Tampa attorneys Steve Burton and Tom Scarritt and Coral Springs real estate developer Jeff Sherrin, who was part of the failed attempt by Absolute Hockey Enterprises to buy the team. Former Blue Jackets president Doug MacLean, also part of Absolute Hockey, said he will meet with the fledgling group this week to see if he is interested in joining.

For the group, the main focus seems to be local ownership and keeping the team in town. And I could have been clearer on that point in today's story, as I believe those in the group were speaking generally about keeping the team at the St. Pete Times Forum. 

Oren Koules, the Hollywood producer who also was part of Absolute Hockey and who is now trying to buy the team, has never said he wants to move it. In fact, when Koules, Sherrin and MacLean, announced Absolute Hockey's purchase of the team on Aug. 7, they were adamant they wanted to keep the team in Tampa.

I am curious, though, in this era of telecommuting and instant communications, if having a local owner still matters. Koules and his OK Hockey partners (business partner Mark Berg, and, it is believed, California banker Russell Belinsky), live in Southern Californa. But Koules has said he wants to buy a place on Harbour Island and walk across the bridge to the arena with the fans. The people in Montreal were nuts when George Gillett, an American, bought the Canadiens, but have since come to terms with it. Bill Davidson lives in Michigan, and his business operates there, but the Lightning won a Stanley Cup under his ownership.

I'm not advocating one way or another. To me, though, it is the commitment to the team and winning that counts most. Perhaps I'm wrong but that doesn't seem to be something that necessarily comes from geography.

Now Gratton is out

The Lightning just can't catch a break with injuries this season. A day after announcing Michel Ouellet will be out four to six weeks with a separated shoulder, the team announced center Chris Gratton will be out two weeks with an unspecified hip injury, though Gratton said it was just wear and tear and was confident the two weeks should heal things up.

Consider who is out: Defenseman Dan Boyle (wrist), center Tim Taylor (hip), center Ryan Craig (knee), Ouellet and now Gratton.

The team entering Saturday's game with the Capitals already has lost 56 man games to injury or illness. If you do not include Rob DiMaio's 82 games from last season because of a preseason concussion, this season's 56 games is more than any Lightning season since 2002-03, when it lost 143.

What that means for tonight is that both Craig MacDonald, scratched for seven straight games, and Norfolk call-up Blair Jones will be in the lineup.

Johan Holmqvist, puled in his last two starts, will start in goal.

Oullett out 4-6 weeks

A team that in recent years managed to go relatively injury-free was hit with another extended loss as winger Michel Ouellet is expected to be out 4-6 weeks with a separated left shoulder sustained when checked by Calgary's Robyn Regher on Thursday. The team called up Blair Jones from Norfolk to take his place.

Holmqvist starts tonight

If Marc Denis had any hopes of starting consecutive games for the first time this season, he was disappointed as Johan Holmqvist will start against the Flames. That likely has a lot to do with Holmqvist's terrific stats at the St. Pete Times Forum: 11-3-2 with a 2.11 goals-against average and a .917 save percentage.

Denis, as he has been throughout the season, was his classy self after the morning skate and spoke of how the most important thing is to build on his 28-save shootout victory over the Canadiens. At the same time, he said, "As quick as it is, it's now part of the past.''

You be the coach (no profanity, please)

So you really want Johan Holmqvist to turn himself into a consistent No. 1 goaltender. Part of that is making sure he knows that if he is pulled from a game it doesn't necessarily mean you are out for the next one; you know, confidence and all that.

On the other hand, Holmqvist has played a heck of a lot of games and was under siege against the Maple Leafs. And Marc Denis played like a star in Montreal.

So, what do you do for tonight's game against the Flames? Do you ride what might be a hot hand, or do you figure Denis was super-focused only because he was playing in his hometown and might not be able to sustain that kind of adrenaline? Or do you say, Denis has got something to prove now and let's see how far he can take us?

Or do you go back to Holmqvist because, well, he's been your No.1 all season and he still probably figures in your future plans?

Will be interesting to see who's in net at Thursday's morning skate.

Giving Brad Richards credit

Just a great effort Tuesday night by the most overlooked players on this team. Whine all you want about his big contract, it is games such as the one Richards played against the Canadiens that remind you of all the elements he brings to the team, and why he is thought of as a future captain.

Okay, so perhaps the guy was not hurt as badly as we all thought. But it was bad enough that he had to come out of Monday's game. And even Brad said he wasn't sure if he would be able to play against the Canadiens, so on a day in which the team did not have a morning skate, Richards went to the Bell Centre and put himself through some agility tests to make sure he was good enough to play. Considering his 30-plus minutes and that he looked as if he was going to blow through the end boards during his run-up to the Lightning's only shootout goal, guess he was okay.

"I wasn't going to miss a game in Montreal,'' he said after Tampa Bay's 3-2 shootout victory.

But Richards' real worth was shown on the overtime penalty kill in which he spent the entire 1:56 on the ice, and made a neat play on a defensive zone faceoff when instead of trying to win the puck back to a teammate, he pushed the puck through the legs of his faceoff opponent, picked up the puck and skated the length of the ice.

But you noticed Richards even before that as he skated well and had four shots on goal.

Richards was rightly named the game's first star, and in the locker room, coach John Tortorella came up to Richards and simply said to him, "(Bleepin') right.''

Richards doesn't give you the rah-rah stuff, just leadership by example.

      

Richards playing, looks okay

It's still early but Brad Richards started the game and looks as if he is skating well midway through the first period. It was quite a recovery after seeing how hard he crashed into the end boards on Monday night and how badly he was limping after the game.

 

Lawsuit ends; Koules wants the team

The lawsuit that divided the group that was attempting to purchase the Lightning from Palace Sports & Entertainment has been settled with Doug MacLean and Jeff Sherrin getting an undisclosed financial settlement from Hollywood producer Oren Koules.

According to a statement released by Koules through the Lightning, he will pursue the team with business partner Mark Berg. A third investor hasn't been named but it is believed to be California banker Russell Belinsky.

"I am pleased that the lawsuit will be dismissed and finally resolved, and I am confident that OK Hockey can commence and consummate a transaction with the existing owners to purchase the Tampa Bay Lightning,'' Koules said.

Lightning owner Palace Sports & Entertainment said in a statement: "We are happy that Oren Koules, Jeff Sherrin and Doug MacLean were able to reach an amicable resolution this week. In light of the settlement, Palace Sports & Entertainment is expecting a new proposal from one or more of the principles and when received, PS&E will evaluate all its options. Regardless, PS&E will continue to operate the Lightning and the St. Pete Times Forum in the first class manner consistent with its history.''

Brad could play against Montreal

At least that was the indication given Tuesday afternoon by coach John Tortorella, who seemed confident  center Brad Richards will play tonight against the Canadiens, but said the final decision would be made at game time.

Even if Richards doesn't play, it does not sound as if the injury to his left knee is as severe as it seemed it might be Monday night, when he left the game midway through the second period after slamming into the end boards with Toronto defenseman Tomas Kaberle on his back.

There was no official word on the exact nature of the injury. But either way, it sounds as if Richards and Lightning dodged a bullet. Not having Richards would mean the Lightning would have been without a true power-play quarterback (Dan Boyle is the other). And long-term it's not so easy to replace a player who averages more than 25 minutes, kills penalties and takes defensive zone  faceoffs.

More to come later. But, for now, perhaps, some optimism.

Also: Marc Denis will start in net.

Little news on Richards

Brad Richards, limping noticeably as he left the locker room Monday night, declined comment about his injured left knee, and coach John Tortorella said he had "no idea'' about his star center's status. Richards, though, did travel with the team to Montreal, where the Lightning plays on Tuesday.

That the Lightning lost 6-1 to the Maple Leafs in what Tortorella called "just an old-fashioned (expletive) kicking'' was bad enough, but consider the possibilities if Richards is out. If so, Tampa Bay will be without its top two power-play quarterbacks as defenseman Dan Boyle is still recovering from wrist tendon surgery. They will be without one of their best penalty killers and a player who entered the game averaging 25:17 of ice time, tops among league forwards.

We should know more Tuesday afternoon.

Until then, here are some stats to make you feel even worse.

Tampa Bay has lost five straight on the road and is a league-worst 2-11-1. It allowed the Maple Leafs to break open a 0-0 game with four goals on seven shots in 4 minutes, 32 seconds of the second period. Two of the goals came on the power play; notable because Toronto entered with the league's second-worst power play and on a 3-for-36 streak. Two of the goals came in 34 seconds and chased goaltender Johan Holmqvist in what turned out to be Tampa Bay's fifth straight loss in Toronto.

The Lightning was 0-for-5 on the power play and rookie defenseman Mike Lundin was minus-4.

Richards helped off the ice

With 11:28 left in the second period against the Maple Leafs, Brad Richards, with Toronto's Tomas Kaberle on his back, slid into the end boards and did not get up for about two minutes while trainers worked on him and his teammates looked on worried.

Richards needed to be helped off the ice by Marty St. Louis and Paul Ranger and then had to be helped to the trainer's room. The intiial report from the team was a left knee injury and that his return to the game was questionable.

It was impossible to tell what was injured but Richards seemed to be dragging his legs as he left the ice.

Can't draw any conclusions but it did not look good.

Richards, 27, has never missed a game because of injury. He missed two games in 2002-03 while attending the funeral of his grandmother in his native Prince Edward Island.

Richards was streaking toward the net and just missed holding a pass from Vinny Prospal that could have triggered a breakaway. But the puck bounced off his stick. Richards seemed to slip and Kaberle laid on his back. Richards crashed into the end boards.

    

Core elements

Interesting exchange after Monday's morning skate between coach John Tortorella and Marty St. Louis. The coach had spent the past few minutes telling reporters what he thought of the recent trade rumor that had the Lightning sending St. Louis to the Stars for goalie Marty Turco; "It's absolute (B.S.).''

As Tortorella passed St. Louis in the locker room, he yelled out, "Marty St. Louis for Marty Turco,'' and laughed.

"That's a great trade,'' St. Louis said, "... for Dallas.''

Tortorella knows the rumors always will be out there, and that there is a belief the team will have to part with one of its stars to perhaps fill other needs. But Tortorella said trading either St. Louis, Vinny Lecavalier or Brad Richards doesn't make sense.

Of course, GM Jay Feaster said during the recent six-game losing streak that if things didn't turn around by Christmas, ownership could decide to cut payroll by the trade deadline. Tortorella said he did not know exactly what Feaster said, so their comments should not be connected. Besides, Tortorella said, he was talking hockey, not economics.

"I just think they are the core of our team,'' Tortorella said. "This is a big reason we have become successful. No matter what is being said out there, this, that or the other thing, I don't see it happening.''

A little more on this in tomorrow's paper.

Keeping their cool

Good for Lightning players Filip Kuba and Paul Ranger for not going off Saturday night about the penalties called against them in overtime of a 3-2 loss to the Islanders. Of course, Ranger was being reminded by coach John Tortorella, who was walking through the hallway next to the Lightning locker room as Ranger was being questioned.

Tortorella, too, refused to whine at the refs after the consecutive calls forced Tampa Bay to try to kill off four minutes of penalty time in the five-minute extra period. And, in fact, the Lightning had their chances to win, blowing two breakaways. And even though Tampa Bay scored two power play goals in the third period to tie the game, the team had five other chances with a man advantage, and the power play towards the end of regulation with the score tied was particularly lame. 

Funny thing about the NHL, the referees used to use some discretion when making calls in tight games. The term "let the players decide the game'' was paramount. But in an era in which the only motivation seems to be to increase scoring at any cost, it seems referees believe they must call everything, no matter how trivial, at any time.

Nice that in that sense, they're trying for some consistency. But I vote for discretion. Consider Saturday's overtime. Did Kuba get his stick into the Islanders' Radek Martinek? Yeah, a bit. Did the Islanders player clamp down on the stick? Yeah, a bit. I say so what? Neither player seemed to gain a real advantage from the play. Especially in OT, why call it?

Ranger's slash on Mike Sillinger was a little more blatant as he did smack Sillinger on the wrist and/or hands. Interestingly, Ranger's teammate, Shane O'Brien, said Ranger uses that maneuver often and it is not called. If that is true, then we have a whole different problem with consistency of calls, which we have discussed in the past.

Still, it seems the best remedy for this kind of officiating is to simply keep your stick on the ice. Easy to say, tough to do all the time in the real world.

I do give the refs credit for one thing, though. They see, to be aware of the maneuver in which players clamp down on sticks with their arms to induce hooking and obstruction calls. Seen holding the stick penalties called more and more.

Oh, and, what is it with the too many men on the ice penalties? Lightning has been called for that in three straight games.

    

Is Hlavac's time running short?

Jan Hlavac was signed as a free agent to be a finisher on Brad Richards' line. He has been anything but as he had just four goals heading into Saturday night's game with the Islanders and none in his previous eight. The question is, how much longer will coach John Tortorella stick with him before a demotion? Torts doesn't usually  doesn't show that much patience. Look at Michel Ouellet, who has five goals, and was demoted from Richards' line to the fourth. Tortorella, though, apparently likes the way Richards and Hlavac work together, and Hlavac is one of the team leaders in scoring chances. He just can't put the puck in the net.

Of course, it's not like Tampa Bay has a lot of options, either. Tortorella is not going to break up Vinny, Vinny and Marty for any length of time, though he could start spotting Marty on Richards' line.

Making it worse have been the recent bad defensive zone giveaways by Hlavac that have either led to goals or scoring chances for the opponent. Tortorella always has said if a player is not scoring, that player has to meet him half way with his defense. Since that is not happening, it's a wonder Hlavac is still on the second line.

Even Hlavac admits of his defense, "That's the biggest thing I have to work on, getting the puck in, getting the puck out. That's where I have the most problems. I've got to get better for sure.''

 

Boyle's return like trading for a defenseman

There is no timetable yet for Dan Boyle's return to action, but the defenseman got some good news this week after being examined for two days in Baltimore by Thomas Graham, who performed Boyle's second wrist tendon surgery. (See the story in Saturday's paper). But when Boyle does return, it will set up an interesting dynamic, one in which you could consider his addition, if you really want to stretch an argument, like gaining an extra body in trade.

Let's for a moment assume the Lightning continues its resurgence and there is no excuse for owner Palace Sports & Entertainment to start thinking about cutting payroll by, perhaps, trading some of its core players. Let us also assume that the ownership situation does not change in the near term which means Palace Sports retains control and is steadfast in its desire to stick to its $44-million payroll budget.

Given all that, the most likely player acquisitions will be, in a sense, re-acquisitions; perhaps bringing up Karri Ramo to be Johan Holmqvist's backup (let's face it, Marc Denis has been on the bench so long at this point, even playing him is problematic), and getting Boyle back on the blue line.

Boyle's return could be one of the best additions the team could make, and it won't cost it another dime. Sure, Boyle will not be his old self right away or at any time during the season, given what he has gone through. But his minutes will not only give Tampa Bay's young defensemen a breather, it also will take some pressure off and greatly improve Tampa Bay's transition game.

Look, the team has no complaints with the job the youngsters on defense are doing. Shane O'Brien is 24, rookie Mike Lundin and Paul Ranger are 23. Doug Janik barely has played 100 NHL games. They blow up at times but they are giving all they have and that is all you can ask, and they are the building blocks for what a few years down the road should be a stellar blue line. Still, it is no secret GM Jay Feaster would love to add a veteran blue liner like he added Darryl Sydor the year Tampa Bay won the Cup. But with the ownership situation up in the air, the budget tight and with so little real depth with which to trade, Feaster is in a tough spot unless there is a decision to add some payroll.

That's the beauty of Boyle's return. It will give the defense a shot int he arm and be like bringing in a fresh face. Sure it's a way to spin a difficult situation, but with a trade to bring in a body from outside the organization a long shot at this point, that's all you may have.

   

Vinny voted league's best

Lightning forward Vinny Lecavalier received 17 of 30 votes in a The Hockey News poll asking writers from each NHL city who has been the league's best player this season. Here are the complete results:

Vincent Lecavalier, TB       17          
Henrik Zetterberg, Det        4
Ilya Kovalchuk, Atl               3
Pascal Leclaire, CBJ             2
Henrik Lundqvist, NYR         2
Jarome Iginla, Cgy               1
Daniel Alfredsson, Ott          1

Espo wanted the team

Lightning founder Phil Esposito said on Thursday -- the 17th anniversary of the NHL conditionally awarding the franchise to the Tampa Bay area -- that he was trying to put together a group to buy the team when Absolute Hockey Enterprises announced on Aug. 7 it had reached a purchase agreement with Palace Sports & Entertainment.

He said he could not make it work because the real estate developers he was courting only wanted the 5.5 acres near the St. Pete Times Forum that were in Absolute Hockey's purchase agreement -- not the team. And even though Absolute Hockey's deal has fallen apart amid investor squabbling, Espo said he no longer has a desire to be a primary owner. It is just too much work, he said, to find all that money, though he said he might consider joining a group as a minority investor because "they'd be doing the work.''

There's a story about it in today's paper but was curious  what people thought about Espo as an owner. As team founder, and considering his love for the franchise, I expect he would work as hard as he could with the team's best interests at heart. He almost teared up when I asked him to describe his affection for the team. In fact, he said the two greatest days of his hockey life were when his number was retired in Boston and the announcement that Tampa Bay got a team.

The right stuff?

It's in him, isn't it? Johan Holmqvist certainly has the stuff to be a legitimate No. 1. He proved that Thursday with a scintillating effort in the victory over the Hurricanes. The key for him is just to do it more consistently. But there is no denying Holmqvist is better than he was last season, and what I like about him is his ability to put bad games behind him. Every now and then, he plays a game that makes it seem his best days are ahead of him.

Anyway, it will be interesting to see what happens after Karri Ramo rounds himself back into shape. The goalie for AHL Norfolk is playing again after finally recovering from a high ankle sprain sustained Oct. 5. Ramo played Saturday and stopped 17 of 18 first-period shots before tiring and allowing seven goals on 33. He also tweaked his back, according to Norfolk GM Claude Loiselle, bad enough that he sat out Sunday's game. But Loiselle said the ankle is "100 percent'' and the back is "nothing'' and Ramo will play Friday against Philadelphia.

Tampa Bay has indicated Ramo is almost NHL ready. Considering its lack of use for Marc Denis and that the Lightning believes Ramo is its goalie of the future, it's not a stretch to believe Ramo could have a quick ticket to the NHL. That, however, will require some real commitment from the Lightning brass to perhaps send Denis and his $2.8-million contract to Norfolk.

Certainly no one will pick up Denis on waivers but perhaps, if there is an injury around the league, he could be claimed at half price on recall waivers. A trip to the minors seems the only option if Denis can't be traded, and certainly his value right now is nil.

But let's not get ahead of ourselves, Ramo just got back on his feet and has a ways to go before such an evaluation can be made.

In other news, the Lightning sent defenseman Andy Rogers from Norfolk to ECHL Mississippi. Rogers has played in just 11 of the Admirals 24 games. The 2004 first-round draft pick played in just 69 the previous two seasons because of ankle and hip injuries. So Loiselle said he believes it is best to send Rogers to Mississippi where he will play 25 to 30 minutes a night and gain some confidence.

Speaking of confidence, the Lightning's players certainly gained some in Holmqvist Thursday night.

            

Media clowns II

Okay, the lesson here is never try to kid around during the hockey season.

A day after the whole media clowns thing, we decide it would be funny if when coach Tortorella came in to meet with reporters today after practice at the St. Pete Times Forum, we all would wear red clown noses. Low and behold, one of the media relations people for the Lightning said he had a box of red noses from when the circus was in town, and he runs to his office to get them.

So Torts comes into the meeting room, looks at four people with red noses, breathes deeply and says, "Great guys. Can we get going here, please. I have things to do."

Didn't even break a grin.

Later, speaking to him alone about a story, I said, "You know, John, we were just trying to have a little fun in there.''

He said, "With what?''

"The red clown noses, after you mentioned about media clowns.''

Torts said he didn't make the connection when he walked into the room. Besides, he added, "I have another name for you , Damian, and it's not media clown.''

We laughed. He was kidding ... I think.

    

   

Media clowns

For the record, coach John Tortorella said neither myself nor Erik Erlendsson of the Tampa Tribune were the clowns to which he referred after Tuesday night's 4-3 shootout victory over the Senators (go ahead, take your best shot). But his reference to at least one unnamed person in the Tampa Bay media, made for an interesting discussion. 

Here's the scene:

It was going to be an innocent question in Tortorella's postgame meeting with reporters. Erik wondered to Tortorella if he took the positive out of a victory or was concerned that the team lost another two-goal lead in the third period. Before the question was even finished, Tortorella cut him off.

"I'm not talking any negatives,'' the coach said. "We won a big hockey game. Let's go there.''

Fair enough, a confidence boosting win against the No. 1 team in the East, no need to run down the effort that, in total, the team should be proud. 

So, the conversation continued between Erik, myself and Torts, who admitted mistakes were made in the third period, but also added, "I'm not going to address them with you guys. There's a lot of sarcasm and I'm sick of it.''

As he said that, Torts stared right at me. Wasn't quite sure if he was just looking to me for the next question or was signaling that I was the culprit of distributing the sarcasm to which he was referring. I didn't really think so because I try very hard not to take cheap shots when I write. Criticism is fine, but I have to deal with these guys every day, so cheap shots do nothing but cause people to distrust you.

Still, the stare was pretty intense, so I asked if he was referring to me.

"No,'' he said. "Not at you. I'm not naming names.''

The interview finally wound around to how Lightning players were quite down on themselves after the game; glad for the victory but upset that they let the third period get away from them by allowing two goals in 36 seconds with under two minutes remaining.

Said Tortorella: "The team has always been that way,'' meaning good at self-assessment. "Some of the (media) clowns around here don't understand it. Not you two,'' he said of me and Erik.

Tortorella didn't say at whom he was upset. But something certainly got under his skin somewhere between the morning skate and the end of the game. No one around the team seemed to know the cause of his agitation, or at least they weren't saying.

It's Darche's turn

The merry-go-round to find the correct combination of wingers to play with Brad Richards continues tonight against the Senators. The latest to get a chance is Mathieu Darche. The guy has just four NHL goals, three this season, but I can see where, perhaps, Darche is the kind of player Brad needs on his line.

Darche, 31, is a grinder. He's not afraid to hit, take a hit and forecheck. Bottom line he goes after the puck. Okay, so he's not a finisher. But apparently neither is Jan Hlavac nor Michel Ouellet. At least Darche is going to create some excitement and bring some energy. Wasn't it nice to see someone score on deflections from in front of the net as Darche did the previous two games?

Finding the right combination to play with Brad has been quite something. He just hasn't put up the numbers since he was paired with Marty St. Louis and Freddie Modin. Darche is in the Modin mold. I'm not saying he is as good as Modin but at least he has the ability to be a force on the forecheck. He can get in the areas in which he can score, if not in bunches at least, perhaps, now and then. More than anything, though, he can get the puck.

Is this a long-term fix? Who knows. But Darche at least has earned the chance. He has only one fewer goal than Hlavac and just two fewer than Ouellet, and he probably is more physical. I also like Darche in that he has a good sense of his own limitations and how to work within them.

As he said before Tuesday's game:

"I know my limits. I'm not the kind of guy who is going to beat five guys to score goals. I'll get the ugly ones. I don't care. They all count. I don't mind taking a hit to score a goal. I am a simple player. You do the simple things and you get rewarded.''

Lecavalier is NHL's third star for November

Here is the release sent out by the leage:

KOVALCHUK, LUONGO AND LECAVALIER NAMED NHL THREE STARS OF THE MONTH

Atlanta Thrashers left wing Ilya Kovalchuk, Vancouver Canucks goaltender Roberto Luongo and Tampa Bay Lightning center Vincent Lecavalier have been named the NHL's 'Three Stars' for November.

FIRST STAR -- ILYA KOVALCHUK, LW, ATLANTA THRASHERS

Kovalchuk scored a League-leading 14 goals and added eight assists as the Thrashers posted a 7-5-0 record. He tallied goals in nine of 12 games, beginning the month with consecutive hat tricks against Ottawa Nov. 1 and Tampa Bay Nov. 3. He later tallied the overtime game-winner against Florida Nov. 13, registered a goal and an assist for his ninth multi-point game of the season Nov. 19 against Tampa Bay and posted his second four-point game of the campaign (two goals, two assists) in a 5-1 victory
at Washington Nov. 21. Kovalchuk leads all NHL goal-scorers with 22 and ranks second to Lecavalier in overall scoring with 37 points (22-15--37).

SECOND STAR -- ROBERTO LUONGO, G, VANCOUVER CANUCKS

Luongo posted an 8-2-2 record with a 1.56 goals-against average, .940 save percentage and four shutouts as the Canucks (14-10-2, 30 points) climbed to second place in the Northwest Division. Luongo allowed two goals or fewer in eight of 12 contests, concluding the month with three consecutive shutouts and a franchise-record shutout streak that ended Sunday at 210:34. The streak surpassed Luongo's prior best (182:37, Feb. 21-27, 2004 with Florida) and the Canucks' record of 184:20 set by Ken Lockett (Mar. 29 to Apr. 4, 1975).

THIRD STAR -- VINCENT LECAVALIER, C, TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING

Lecavalier led all NHL scorers in November with 25 points (nine goals, 16 assists) in 14 games. He recorded points in 10 of 14 games and set a franchise record with an eight-game multiple-point scoring streak from Nov. 3-19. The last NHL player to record as long a streak was Pittsburgh's Jaromir Jagr in 1996 (10 games). Lecavalier leads the NHL scoring race with 41 points (18 goals, 23 assists), four ahead of Kovalchuk and five more than Pittsburgh's Sidney Crosby (14-22--36) and Calgary's Jarome Iginla (14-22--36).

Now, Ouellet's in

Michel Ouellet was supposed to be a healthy scratch tonight against the Bruins but will get a chance to play because Craig MacDonald sat out to be with wife Amanda. The couple had their second child, a girl, Emerson Grace.

Holmqvist starts tonight, Ouellet out

Didn't get much out of coach John Tortorella at the morning skate. As he said, he's not going to keep picking apart the losing streak and he's going to keep his and the players' thoughts in the locker room. What we do know is Johan Holmqvist is the likely starter in goal despite Marc Denis playing pretty well while making 35 saves Thursday against the Red Wings.

Also, wing Michel Ouellet, whose stats have really fallen off lately, is a healthy scratch. Ouellet readily admitted the step back he has taken the last couple of games and said he intently will watch tonight's game against the Bruins to see if he can pick up some tips as to where he has gone wrong. After talking to him, sounds more like a matter of will than skill, a mind-set problem Ouellet seemed to have successfully dealt with earlier in the season.

On the players, killer instinct and other stuff

That was the message general manager Jay Feaster sent in the paper today. He came out strong behind coach John Tortorella and said if the team does not turn itself around by, say , Christmas, there could be pressure from owner Palace Sports & Entertainment to start cutting payroll, and he did not flinch when asked if those cuts could include some of the core players such as Vinny 4, Brad, Marty and Dan Boyle.

We have heard this before, of course. Last season ownership said the same thing when the team was struggling and the players responded with a successful playoff push. The difference this season is that Feaster said he has not had any mandate from ownership to cut payroll if things haven't gotten better by Christmas. But Feaster said he knows his payroll ($44-million) and knows what the projected financial losses are if the team doesn't make the playoffs (Palace Sports has put it somewhere between $7-million and $5-million), "and it just doesn't add up.''

So, it seems that unless the bottom falls out (remember the team enters Saturday 14th in the East but just seven points out of first in the Southeast), or there is a player revolt (unlikely) it seems as if the coaching staff is safe.

In fact, here is what Feaster said about the job Tortorella, associate coach Mike Sullivan and the staff are doing:

"I think the coaching staff is doing everything it can. I think the coaching staff is working hard to put the guys in position to have success. I know what they do in practice. I watch that. I know what they do by way of film and video preparations. There's no doubt in my mind they're doing a heck of a job.''

Feaster has never been a big fan of firing coaches, anyway. As he reiterated, "That to me is still a knee-jerk reaction. I'm not a big believer in doing that so the manager can sit back and say, 'Well, look at me, I did something.' ''

So Feaster put it squarely on the players, saying, in part, he doesn't believe the team has what he called a "killer instinct.'' He gave examples of losses to the Thrashers and Hurricanes in which the team blew two-goal third period leads.

"There are certain players in this league who when they have their foot on your throat, they look you in the eye with a gleam in their eye and tell you, 'Now, I'm going to break your larynx,' '' Feaster said. "I don't know, individually or collectively, we have that killer instinct yet, that we're able to say, 'My foot's on your throat. Now, we're going to take you out.' ''

Feaster referenced Red Wings defenseman Chris Chelios.

"He's not going to let you up,'' Feaster said. "He's not going to let you breathe. That's how we have to be.''