Darche gets shot at being Richards' linemate
Mathieu Darche moves up to the second line and pays dividends right away.
By DAMIAN CRISTODERO, Times Staff Writer
Published December 5, 2007
TAMPA - Wing Mathieu Darche said he loves playing with center Brad Richards.
"If I give him the puck, all I have to do is go to the net with my stick on the ice and my eyes closed and he'll find me," Darche said.
It will be interesting to see how much chemistry the two can generate as Darche, a worker who digs hard for the puck on the forecheck, gets a chance to play with the 2004 playoff MVP and left wing Jan Hlavac.
It has been a challenge finding wings to adequately complement Richards. Hlavac, with four goals, can't seem to convert scoring chances. Michel Ouellet has just five goals and has struggled so much he is on a fourth line with center Andreas Karlsson.
Now Darche, 31, with four goals this season and five in the NHL, can showcase the grittiness that lets him set up in front of the net.
"Even in the minors, where I scored lots of goals, most were on deflections or rebounds," said Darche, who had tip-ins his previous two games entering Tuesday, four shots on goal and averaged 18:10 of ice time.
"I know my limits. I'm not the kind of guy who is going to beat five guys to score goals. I'll get the ugly ones. I don't care. They all count. You do the simple things, you get rewarded."
It worked in the short term as Darche went from third- and fourth-line assignments to a second-line opportunity and scored Tuesday's first goal.
"I'm not going to overthink it," coach John Tortorella said. "Is he good with Brad? He'll start there Tuesday and we'll see where we go with it."
VISOR ISSUES: Center Chris Gratton wore a visor after his right cornea was scratched in a preseason game by an errant stick blade. Gratton, who said he never liked the visor, took it off Nov.28 in Chicago and was nicked again, this time in the corner of his right eye.
"Pretty scary," he said, though he has not gone back to a visor.
MINOR CONTROVERSY: Senators goaltender Ray Emery, who was called for slashing when he swung his stick at Darche, said he believes Lightning star Vinny Lecavalier should have been called for interference on Filip Kuba's goal that gave Tampa Bay a 3-1 third-period lead.
"In my estimation, you're not allowed to stand in front of a goalie and block him," Emery said. "So I think it's not a goal.
"I don't know if it has to do with it being Vinny Lecavalier versus it being somebody else. It was a big play in the game."
ODDS AND ENDS: Center Craig MacDonald was a healthy scratch. ... Tortorella earned his 220th victory, moving him into third among U.S.-born coaches.
Damian Cristodero can be reached at cristodero@sptimes.com.