Weather | Sports | Forums | Comics | Classifieds | Calendar | Movies
DAMIAN CRISTODEROModin, St. Louis and Richards reunite, then ignite Tampa Bay.
TAMPA - Sometimes Lightning left wing Fredrik Modin doesn't even have to look. Sometimes he just knows center Brad Richards or Martin St. Louis will be there.
So Modin chips a puck into a corner and ...
"Boom, I turn around and one of them has the puck," Modin said. "It's fun. It really is."
You remember the Modin-Richards-St. Louis line, don't you?
Formed, as best anyone can recall, a few months into the 2000-01 season, it was one of Tampa Bay's most productive until things went stale last season and was broken up before Game 3 of the East quarterfinals against the Capitals.
So when the unit was reunited for Friday's game against Washington and had three goals and three assists to spark a 5-2 victory, it was like welcoming back an old friend.
"Yeah, it was good," Richards said. "We were excited the day before in practice. It's always good when you know each other. It just makes it easier."
"We had fun," St. Louis said. "We have a good time on the ice. We're professionals. Whoever they put us with, we're going to play. But having Mo on our line, a friendly face, it was nice."
Modin had played this season on lines centered by Martin Cibak, Alexander Svitov and Vinny Lecavalier. But when the line of Richards, St. Louis and Cory Stillman lost some productivity, coach John Tortorella put Stillman with Lecavalier and Modin with his old mates.
The payoff was immediate. Modin scored his third and fourth goals against Washington, including the winner. St. Louis had a goal and two assists, and Richards had an assist.
"We had some good chances and good shifts," Modin said. "We had that little buzz going."
"It's not comfortable or anything. You're just familiar with each other," Richards said. "I know Mo's game and Louie's game as much as they do and visa versa. When you play with the other guy long enough, you know where he's going."
One good game, though, does not a permanent line make. The unit will start together tonight against the Islanders at the St. Pete Times Forum. How long it stays that way depends on how it plays.
While Tortorella said he might stick with the line longer because it has a history of success, he added, "This is a game where you need results every night. If things aren't going well, there's a fine line there. It's not a science. Sometimes you throw it together and throw it against the wall and something sticks."
The Richards-St. Louis-Stillman line stuck until it became too unselfish. The players began overpassing and looking for each other rather than the net.
Modin gives the line three distinct styles.
Richards, with terrific vision on the ice, is the playmaker. St. Louis, Tampa Bay's most explosive player, knows how to get into position to score and creates more opportunities with his quickness.
Modin has a 100-mph slap shot. His size (6 feet 4, 220 pounds) and strength allow him to knock defenders off the puck, battle down low and grind in the corners. He also adds a solid defensive element.
In a way, Richards said, it worked out better that Modin began the season on another line.
"We kind of got ourselves going and Mo joins us when he's playing well," Richards said. "When that happens, and you're familiar with each other, it's easy to click again."
"It's really good to be back playing with those guys, absolutely," Modin said. "I get the feeling like I know where to go. I go there and the puck comes. It's automatic. I'm not saying that it's always like that, but in certain situations it's boom, boom, boom, the puck comes."
Still, the linemates know the Capitals game was just a start.
"Torts doesn't like when things get stale," St. Louis said. "So if the line changes, it's because we're not producing. So I hope we stay together. That means we're doing well."