Lightning

Lightning seeks help for Big Four

Brad Richards gets a new wing in an effort to boost scoring fromoutside the top players.

By Damian Cristodero
Published December 18, 2007

ATLANTA - If anyone had said before the season that Mathieu Darche and Andreas Karlsson would be the Lightning's second-line wings, you would have said the team has some issues.

Lightning coach John Tortorella on Monday preferred to call it "a jam."

After another game Saturday in which a lack of secondary scoring was critical in a loss, Tortorella demoted struggling left wing Jan Hlavac from Brad Richards' second line to a line with Jason Ward and Nick Tarnasky and promoted Karlsson for tonight's game with the Thrashers at Philips Arena.

"It is unacceptable by our role players not to chip in," Tortorella said. "I'm going to try different combinations until I find something."

Vinny Lecavalier, Marty St. Louis, Vinny Prospal and Richards have combined for 59 of the team's 99 goals. Ten other forwards have combined for just 26, a big reason the team has been outscored this season 74-60 during five-on-five play.

Hlavac and Michel Ouellet, signed to be finishers on Richards' line, have been major disappointments, and now Ouellet is out with a separated shoulder.

Center Chris Gratton, one goal in his past 26 games, is expected to be out two weeks with a hip injury. All of that means, perhaps, even more playing time, and responsibility, for the Big Four, whom Tortorella already uses in all situations, offensively and defensively.

"This is the dynamic of our hockey club right now," he said. "We need some of our other players to take some of that."

It didn't happen in Saturday's 3-2 loss to the Capitals. The top players were down, but no one picked up the slack. Tortorella said Karlsson had three scoring chances, which is why he was promoted.

"When you get an opportunity, you have to score. You have to contribute," said Karlsson, who has zero goals and one assist in 18 games. "That's what we're looking for right now."

Damian Cristodero can be reachedat cristodero@sptimes.com.

[Last modified December 18, 2007, 00:24:31]