Svitov sent to AHL team

TAMPA -- Lightning rookie center Alexander Svitov was assigned to AHL Springfield. He will play three games there and return to Tampa Bay on Tuesday. General manager Jay Feaster said he wants Svitov to get the playing time he has not gotten with the Lightning.

"There's no question he's going to be a heck of a player," Feaster said. "We want him picking up some minutes."

Svitov, 19, has one assist in 11 games and is averaging 8 minutes, 25 seconds of ice time. He has had difficulty with the anti-obstruction rules, and entering Thursday was second in the league among rookies with 26 penalty minutes, though 10 came on a misconduct Oct. 12 against the Hurricanes.

"It's all part of the process," coach John Tortorella said. "He's going to go down there and get a lot more playing time in a lot of different situations."

Feaster did not send Svitov down earlier because Springfield was struggling, but it has won two of three.

"I do think it's stabilizing a bit," Feaster said. "It's the right time for Alex to be there."