Special teams take up ice time, preventing looks at line combinations.
By DAMIAN CRISTODERO
Published September 22, 2003
TAMPA - The dream: NHL coaches use preseason games to get a good look at players striving to make the team, and fiddle with line combinations to see what players work best together.
The reality: So many penalties are called, games turn into special-team battles that throw line combinations and defensive pairings into disarray.
"It makes a difference," Lightning coach John Tortorella said. "I have a whole pad of paper here full of line combinations I'd like to see and I'm not going to be able to see all of them. You lose minutes to special teams."
Consider the Lightning's first two preseason games against the Thrashers during which 33 minor penalties were called. That translated to 23 power plays and 40 minutes, 22 seconds of special-teams time.
The silver lining is the power-play and penalty-kill units get a good workout. Still, that is a lot of time that could have been used to evaluate players five-on-five, especially those less well-known to the coaching staff who know even less about Tampa Bay's special-teams systems.
"The guys can't get into the flow and it puts them in a bad spot," Tortorella said.
It is not an accident. Not that the NHL wants to disrupt evaluations. But the league has, for the second straight year, urged its referees to crack down on obstruction during preseason.
League spokesman Gary Meagher said the message is being sent that last season's effort will not abate.
"It isn't a one-year project," he said. "The referees were told in training camp that obstruction is going to be a focal point. That's where you start, in the preseason."
It is much like the successful crackdown that began a few years ago on slashes to the wrist, arms and hands players applied while checking.
"Hopefully that's where this goes, and that certainly took a couple of years," Meagher said.
In the meantime, teams must adapt. The simplest solution would be for players not to break the rules. Sometimes that is easier said than done.
It is preseason for the refs, too, which means calls can be inconsistent. Center Brad Richards said some of the penalties called in Tampa Bay's first games won't be penalties in the regular season.
"They'll just let them go," he said. "There's a lot of pressure. Preseason games can get out of control in a hurry. They just have to call them as they see it. There's no real solution for it."
"It's a tough job and they're trying to do the best they can," Tortorella said. "They're definitely trying to let the players know, "Let's not have a parade going (into the penalty box). We'll get it done during the exhibition season.' "
Referees called the Lightning and Thrashers for 13 obstruction-like penalties (holding, tripping, etc.) and one for slashing.
The dynamic changed Sunday against the Hurricanes. In a chippy contest, only five of 20 penalties were for obstruction offenses.
Right wing Sheldon Keefe said he understands referees wanting to cut down on players' "bad habits." On the other hand, time spent on special teams lessens opportunities to do what he does best.
And when you're fighting for a roster spot, that can be a problem.
"It's definitely difficult," Keefe said. "A guy like myself, five-on-five, being in on the forecheck and finishing checks is what I bring to the table. On special teams, you can't finish your checks as much. You can't get into a constant flow. You just have to make the most of it."
Try making the best of this:
In the first period Friday against the Thrashers, eight minor penalties were called and 7:35 of the first 10 minutes were devoted to special teams.
"I have no problem with them sending a message about things you can and can't do," defenseman Darren Rumble said. "If you're capitalizing on the power play, I guess you can't complain."
