Tortorella will give Holmqvist more shots

By EDUARDO A. ENCINA, Times Staff Writer
Published December 28, 2007

ADVERTISEMENT Defenseman Dan Boyle was cleared Thursday to begin rehab, but no timetable has been set on his return.

TAMPA - It has only been three starts, but the Lightning has been impressed with rookie goaltender Karri Ramo. But he can't play every night.

So with the Lightning playing on back-to-back nights, coach John Tortorella went to Johan Holmqvist. But Holmqvist ended up getting pulled from the game just 10 seconds into the second period - the fourth time in his past five starts he has been pulled. Holmqvist re-entered in the third period.

"I wanted to get him more work," Tortorella said. "I don't want to ice Holmer. If we're going to get out of this, we're going to need both of them. He's played some good hockey for us, even though he's struggled of late. We need to have him getting back feeling good about himself."

After his re-entry, Holmqvist stopped all four Montreal shots. He had allowed three goals in 11 shots before he was pulled.

"I felt good in the end," Holmqvist said. "It wasn't an easy situation, but I just went out there and played. I think that's what I have to do."

With the Lightning carrying three goaltenders on its roster, and the league's holiday roster freeze having expired Thursday at midnight, something has to budge. Marc Denis, a healthy scratch for the fourth straight game Thursday, would be the most likely one to be placed on waivers, and that could happen as early as today.

BOYLE CLEARED TO REHAB: Lightning defenseman Dan Boyle was cleared Thursday to begin rehab, which will include both on-ice and off-ice work, on his injured left wrist immediately.

Boyle flew with the team to Washington on Wednesday and visited renowned hand surgeon Dr. Thomas Graham of the Curtis National Hand Center at Baltimore's Union Memorial Hospital. Graham conducted a second surgery on Boyle's left wrist Nov. 9 after it was learned that two of the tendons connected in a Sept. 23 surgery didn't heal properly. Boyle had three tendons severed by a falling skate blade during the preseason.

"Things went very well," general manager Jay Feaster said in a statement. "Dan is progressing nicely. He has been cleared to begin skating and will be working on a multiphase on-ice and off-ice rehabilitation program."

No timetable has been set on Boyle's return, Feaster said, as per team policy.

ODDS AND ENDS: Wing Jan Hlavac played on the fourth line for the second consecutive game and scored his first goal in 18 games in the third period. He logged just eight shifts and 7:08 of ice time. ... Defenseman Doug Janik's third-period assist was his first in 33 games, dating to March 20 of last season against the Islanders. ... Tampa Bay won 65 percent of faceoffs (33-for-51). ... The Lightning's 2006 first-round draft pick, goaltender Riku Helenius, led Finland to a 4-3 shootout win over Switzerland on Thursday in the IIHF World Junior Hockey Championships, stopping two of three shots in the shootout.

[Last modified December 28, 2007, 01:22:24]