Lightning brings extra defenseman for trip

By TOM JONES
Published October 15, 2005

TAMPA - With consecutive games this weekend, the Lightning was nervous about carrying only 20 players on its roster.

So Friday, it added a little insurance by calling up defenseman Paul Ranger from minor-league Springfield. Ranger, 21, was the Lightning's sixth-round pick in 2002 and could make his NHL debut tonight in Pittsburgh.

"We don't want to find ourselves short at the blue line," general manager Jay Feaster said. "(Ranger) gives us another option."

Springfield has played only one game, but in that game, Ranger had two assists and was voted the No. 1 star.

"By every account that I got," Feaster said, "Ranger was the best player on the ice."

The call-up comes a day after defenseman Darryl Sydor appeared to sustain an upper-body injury on a hard check into the boards in a 4-3 shootout loss to Buffalo.

Sydor played the whole game but did not practice Friday.

Feaster said Sydor was fine but needed a day off for "body maintainance." Sydor is expected to play tonight. If Ranger plays, he could take rookie Timo Helbling's spot.

Meanwhile, left wing Ruslan Fedotenko did not practice Friday because of a bruised left ankle. Fedotenko took a puck off the ankle Thursday during the second period and played sparingly the rest of the game.

Feaster called Fedotenko "day to day" and expected him to play tonight.

[Last modified October 15, 2005, 01:15:22]