Lightning's Thompson faces former Islanders teammates

TAMPA, Fla. - Nate Thompson faced his former team last night for the first time since being claimed off waivers by Tampa Bay on Jan. 21.

Thompson said it was difficult to leave his Islanders teammates last month but that he was eager to square off against them.

"It's tough on anybody, but the toughest part was leaving the guys over there," he said. "I have a lot of good friends over there, but on the other hand, it will be fun playing against them."

Thompson did not score in his first five games for the Lightning but has been playing about 13 minutes each game and has given the Lightning a boost with his performance from the faceoff circle.

Entering last night, Thompson was second on the Lightning in faceoff percentage, winning 36 of 49 (73.5 percent). "It's been great,'' he said. "It's been a really easy transition so far. It's a great group of guys. They've been very welcoming and it's been a lot of fun."

Witt to Bridgeport

Defenseman Brendan Witt cleared waivers at noon and will report to Bridgeport. The Islanders have no plans to put the 34 year-old veteran on re-entry waivers.

Tambellini in action

Jeff Tambellini played in his first game since Jan. 2 against Atlanta, replacing Josh Bailey, who is expected to miss two weeks with an upper-body injury. Tambellini had been scratched since.

What was coach Scott Gordon looking to see from him? "I think with Jeff, it's playing a complete game. He's got to play in all three zones,'' Gordon said. "Even though he's scored goals, three of them were in one game, and four in the remaining 20 isn't the kind of production he needs to have. We need production from someone like him, and if it happens, it's going to make us a better team."