Lundqvist, steamed or not, receives a break
PITTSBURGH - Henrik Lundqvist seemed perturbed Friday night after being pulled 12:25 into the second period after the Lightning's fourth goal. He skated straight off to the dressing room and didn't stay in the tunnel, as backup goaltenders do in Tampa.
John Tortorella said before last night's game that Lundqvist said nothing to him about being upset, and that the plan was for Steve Valiquette to start last night's game all along.
"I wanted Hank to play at home against the Penguins [tomorrow]," Tortorella said. "And the first game of these back-to-backs, especially with all the travel we're doing, I felt that was important for Hank to go in Tampa. Turned out it didn't matter too much."
Valiquette gets lit up
Valiquette didn't have any answers after he allowed all eight Penguins goals, including a couple in the third period that should have been stopped. "I don't really have much to say," he said.
Valiquette allowed four goals through two periods, then allowed four more in the third on 10 shots.
"I feel bad for the guy because I thought he gave us a chance in those first two periods," Tortorella said.
Lisin on thin ice
Enver Lisin was dressed last night but spent the game anchored to the bench, a rarity in the NHL. He had no points in 12 games coming in and has had his ice time whittled away to fourth-line duty after getting time on the top line with Marian Gaborik and Vinny Prospal.
"If I had someone else here, I would've taken him out of the lineup," said Tortorella, who did sub Aaron Voros for Brian Boyle and mixed and matched his 11 forwards.
"We've spent a lot of time with him, all the coaches, trying to make him understand," Tortorella said of Lisin. "There needs to be a little bit of a two-way street there as far as understand, listen and apply it. And I don't think you've seen a two-way street."
Ales Kotalik had only 11:09 of ice time, and Tortorella also singled him out for poor play. Said Tortorella, "The guys that were playing are the guys that gave us the best chance to win."
