Slapshots

Line changes

Lightning coach John Tortorella shook up three of four lines for Game2 of the East semifinals, at least that's the way it seemed at Friday's practice.

The most interesting switch had center Brad Richards on the fourth line with wings Ruslan Fedotenko and Andre Roy. Dave Andreychuk moved into Richards' spot on the second line between Fredrik Modin and Ben Clymer. Tim Taylor centered the third line between Chris Dingman and Nikita Alexeev.

The line of center Vinny Lecavalier and wings Martin St. Louis and Vinny Prospal remained the same.

If those configurations hold, rookie center Alexander Svitov, who has contributed little offensively, will be scratched.

"In the Washington series, everybody said it was an unbelievable move in shaking the lines up," Tortorella said. "It was more or less to wake a few guys up and see what sticks to the wall, and something did and we went with it.

"We're not going to be afraid to change things as time goes through this series. I go with my gut on how they're playing and who they're playing with. But I don't want to get it too convoluted. We're not going to get anything accomplished unless we play harder. I think the guys understand that now."

It appears Roy will get his first chance to play since he was benched in the first period of Game2 of the East quarterfinals.

Tortorella gave Roy a seat, then banished him to the locker room for the second and third periods after the enforcer, under orders not to take bad penalties, took a post-whistle penalty, then beefed at referee Kerry Fraser after Washington's power-play goal.

"I don't want to get myself in trouble by taking a penalty," Roy said. "I'll just make sure I don't get tangled up in any scrums after the whistle."

Still, Roy said he will not change his basic style.

"I'm going to play hard and finish my checks," he said and added, smiling, "maybe the referees will give me a break."

Devils goalie Martin Brodeur said it is crucial New Jersey wins Game2 because he expects a different Lightning team when the series shifts to the St. Pete Times Forum for Games3 and 4.

"It's different in their building," Brodeur said. "The people are hockey crazy over there and it's going to be quite an atmosphere. The temperature in the building and the emotion they're going to get, they really feed off that."

New Jersey coach Pat Burns was surly Friday afternoon. Well, more surly than usual.

Burns, rarely seen without his scowl, didn't even take comfort in the Devils' 1-0 lead in the series.

"We haven't won a thing yet," Burns snapped at reporters. "All we've done is win a game. And it takes four to win a series. (The Lightning) admitted it can play better, so we're not going to count anything just yet."

Burns was particularly aggravated by the Devils' lack of focus in what he considered a lousy practice.

"If we play like that, we're going to be down the pipe in this series," Burns said.

Lightning spokesman Bill Wickett said several hundred tickets for the unplayed Game7 of the East quarterfinals have not been returned. Those tickets are not usable for the Devils series. Fans can get a refund or a credit for tickets to Game3 or 4 vs. the Devils. Go to the Times Forum box office or call (813) 301-6600.

New Jersey defenseman Brian Rafalski likely will be back in the lineup today. He missed Game1 with flulike symptoms. Rafalski practiced and declared himself ready to play. ... Less than 3,000 tickets remain for Games3 and 4. They can be purchased at the box office, Ticketmaster, tampabaylightning.com, Ticketmaster online or by calling (813) 301-6600 or (813) 287-8844.

Today's lineup

Lightning