BOSTON - Lightning center Vinny Lecavalier said coach John Tortorella made an "awful call" in benching him in the second period of Tuesday's game with the Bruins.
Tortorella said he is "tired of the whining" and "tired of the excuses."
"I think the worst thing you can do is take away creativity and instincts from a player," Lecavalier said.
Said Tortorella: "He has got to start learning again to play with intensity and within the team concept, plain and simple. If he doesn't, he sits.
"I don't give a (expletive) who he is or who he thinks he is."
Lecavalier said he believed he was "playing great," and with "lots of intensity." But he played just 2:36 of the second period and was benched for the final 15:42 after his backhand pass was intercepted in the offensive zone and began a sequence that ended with Rob Zamuner's goal that gave Boston a 1-0 lead.
Lecavalier said he was going to shoot from the left of Bruins goalie Andrew Raycroft but saw linemate Dmitry Afanasenkov in the slot.
"I went with my instincts," Lecavalier said. "And if I get benched for that, I don't think that's the right decision.
"Obviously, I want the line to score, and by making that play I thought it was the best play to do. They came back and were in the zone for a couple of minutes and then they scored, so offensively I go with my instincts. No one can tell you you have to shoot the puck every time.
"You've got to go with your instincts. I didn't make the right play, but I went with my instincts."
Tortorella was incredulous.
"Let's forget about the backhand turnover that I've seen all year long. Let's forget about that," he said. "What about the effort in the end zone after watching everybody battle trying to keep the puck out of our net?
"Let's not even talk about instincts. Let's simply talk about playing hard."
The relationship between player and coach has been tenuous since Lecavalier lost his captaincy and was scratched for the first two games of the 2001-02 season after ending a training camp holdout. But the public face has been good recently.
Lecavalier is tied for the team lead with 11 goals but has three in his past 20 games. He returned for the third period against Boston and assisted on Andre Roy's goal that gave the Lightning a 1-1 tie. Lecavalier said he has no plans to discuss the matter with Tortorella.
"No," he said.
"I'm just going to keep working hard and play with my instincts."
ODDS AND ENDS: Defenseman Pavel Kubina played his 405th game for the Lightning to pass Chris Gratton for fourth all-time. ... The Lightning was 0-for-1 on the power play and is 10-for-107 in its past 24 games. . . . Left wing Cory Stillman returned after missing one game with the flu. ... Defenseman Darren Rumble was scratched.
