Sports: 10 questions leaving camp

10 questions leaving camp

By DAMIAN CRISTODERO

Before training camp began, we posed 10 questions the Lightning had to answer. Let's go to the videotape;

1. Can Nikolai Khabibulin regain prime form?

We won't know for sure until the season begins, but a 39-save performance during a 2-0 win in Wednesday night's scrimmage got a rave from coach John Tortorella. More telling: Khabibulin's superb .929 save percentage in 150 minutes during Tampa Bay's first three preseason games.

2. How will Kevin Weekes fit in?

So far, very well. Tampa Bay couldn't have asked for anything more from Weekes, who knows his playing time is to be reduced behind Khabibulin but still came to camp with a healthy body and a healthy attitude. He played well in his first preseason action and in scrimmages.

3. Will Vinny Lecavalier be in camp?

The question should be: When will Lecavalier rejoin the team? The restricted free agent missed training camp, and negotiations have not had much momentum. The hope is Tuesday's meeting in Montreal between Lecavalier, his agent, Kent Hughes, and general manager Rick Dudley will be fruitful.

4. Can Brad Richards beat the sophomore jinx?

He hopes the first groin pull of his career, which kept him out of the team's final two preseason games, is not an omen. Richards had an excellent camp. He had five assists in two games while centering the No. 1 line, which had a combined three goals and eight assists.

5. Did the defense learn from its mistakes?

It's too early to tell. The backliners have looked steadier, and 39-year-old Grant Ledyard has been a good influence, though it's unclear how much playing time he will get. Still, the backdoor play caught the defense off guard last weekend against the Capitals. The real test will come in the regular season when the intensity goes up.

6. Will special teams be revamped?

Not totally. Associate coach Craig Ramsay, the special-teams architect, said most of what went wrong with last season's power play and penalty kill had as much to do with attitude as skill level. Ramsay wants both units to be aggressive. On the power play, shoot the puck more. On the penalty kill, swarm and surround the puck. And, most important, win the battles along the boards.

7. Is Nikita Alexeev really that good?

He will be. The 19-year-old first-round draft choice has shown great skating and some nifty moves with the puck. All that's left is for the left wing to get comfortable with the speed of the game and his linemates. The future is bright, even if he is sent to the minors to start the season.

8. Will more than youth be served?

Absolutely. Ledyard, left wing Dave Andreychuk, 37, and center Tim Taylor, 32, will have critical roles. Andreychuk will play on the second line and take turns on the power play and penalty kill. Ledyard has played on the second power-play unit in preseason, and Taylor will be counted upon to take crucial faceoffs and will be integral on the penalty kill.

9. Is Andrei Zyuzin ready to step up?

He has been better defensively, though he still needs to be more decisive. More impressive: his two-goal effort against the Capitals. Both times Zyuzin read the play correctly, pinched and scored on crisp shots from the faceoff circle. It was just the kind of instinct Tampa Bay has been waiting to see from the young defenseman. Now if he can only do it consistently.

10. Can this team make the playoffs?

Sure, if Khabibulin returns to prime form, Richards beats the sophomore jinx, the defense learns from its mistakes, the special teams become a force instead of a hindrance and the veterans not only lead on the ice but in the locker room. Getting Lecavalier into the lineup wouldn't hurt either, along with a 40-goal season from Fredrik Modin, a 20-goal season from Martin St. Louis and a rejuvenated Vinny Prospal. Anything else?