Center calls injury his worst

By DAMIAN CRISTODERO
Published December 23, 2007

TAMPA - About being hit in the mouth by a puck and losing nine teeth, Lightning center Craig MacDonald said, "I've never had a worse feeling in my life."

That from a guy who said a skate once ran over his hand.

MacDonald, who sat out Saturday, needed 50 stitches to sew his tongue and inside lower lip. And he needed 21/2 hours of root canal to treat four exposed nerves in his upper gum.

He said he's ingesting only shakes and finely chopped food.

MacDonald spoke to reporters for the first time since Toronto's Hal Gill drilled him with a wrist shot Thursday.

- On skating himself off the ice: "To stick your tongue out and feel nothing in your mouth, you know there is a problem. I knew there were issues and I had to get off as soon as possible."

- On avoiding a concussion because he wore a mouthpiece: "I feel pretty good; obviously, very sore. Any time you get trauma to the face like that, it's going to hurt. But it could have been worse."

- On the home front: "No Christmas pictures this year."

BOYLE CHECKUP: Defenseman Dan Boyle will have his surgically repaired left wrist tendons checked this week in Baltimore, and agent George Bazos said, "The hope is he can get back on the ice to practice."

There is no announced timetable for his return to the lineup.

The Lightning said Boyle will travel with it to Washington, where it plays Wednesday, then go to Baltimore to meet with Thomas Graham at the Curtis National Hand Center.

Boyle has played just four games because of two surgeries. The second, Nov. 9 by Graham, corrected complications from the first.

WHAT'S HIS LINE?: Coach John Tortorella can be quick to tinker with lines during a game.

Jason Ward, who spent most of Thursday with center Vinny Lecavalier, barely played on his line Saturday.

There is one constant, though: the pairing of Lecavalier and right wing Marty St. Louis.

"During a game, even if I split them at the beginning, they're going to play some together," Tortorella said. "I don't want to keep them apart too long because they have come through for this team so many times."

ODDS AND ENDS: Center Blair Jones and defenseman Jay Leach were sent to AHL Norfolk. ... The team has a three-day break for the holidays. ...Chris Gratton (hip) returned. DefensemanBrad Lukowich (shoulder) was out, and goaltender Marc Denis was scratched.

Damian Cristodero can be reached at cristodero@sptimes.com.

[Last modified December 23, 2007, 01:44:07]