Back-to-basics meeting precedes crucial road trip

By EDUARDO A. ENCINA, Times Staff Writer
Published January 1, 2008

BRANDON - Before the Lightning left for its pivotal four-game road trip to eastern Canada and New York, it held a 90-minute, prepractice meeting Monday morning.

Coach John Tortorella called it a "chalkboard" meeting - ones that usually don't occur midseason - but with the Lightning desperate to turn its season around immediately, it was the right time, Tortorella said.

"The whole day was geared towards getting back to our foundation, back to our whole concept of playing and continuing to emphasize the details we need to keep getting better at," Tortorella said.

Tortorella also said a purpose of the meeting was to field questions and provide a chance to air out concerns.

"Right now, it's really important for us to have a bunker mentality and believe in one another," he said.

Lightning center Vinny Lecavalier called the ensuing practice "one of the best" of the year. "We went back to school. ... The enthusiasm was really up today," he said.

OFFENSE NEEDED: Tortorella has shuffled his lines often trying to find some balance, but he seems happy with playing Chris Gratton, who spent most of the year as the third-line center, on the wing on Brad Richards' line, most often with Mathieu Darche.

"I've tried other people there, but they haven't done the job," Tortorella said. "He has the offensive skill to play there. It's not where I had hoped to have him, but right now, I like him there."

Richards' line has been totally redone, with Michel Ouellet hurt and Jan Hlavac barely playing on the fourth line.

"(Hlavac) played 35 games, and I kept on hoping he would come around," Tortorella said. "I can't keep hoping. We have to win now."

BOYLE TIMETABLE: Injured defenseman Dan Boyle's on-ice rehab has included a lot of skating and some light stickwork, but it appears his recovery could take another three to five weeks.

"It shouldn't take longer than that," said Boyle's agent, George Bazos. "The big thing with Dan is that once he gets clearance from the doctors, he going to be out there. He doesn't want to get clearance and need another two weeks of skating. When the wrist is ready, Dan's ready."

[Last modified December 31, 2007, 20:53:54]