 |
| Even in bad shape, Tokarski lamented the one he didn't save on Thursday. (Getty Images) |
WASHINGTON -- So how about this for a first career NHL start: You are called up from the AHL to play behind a defense that has been one of the worst in the league all season. Further, your team is behind in a playoff chase on the road against a team that has Alex Ovechkin and Alexander Semin .
Oh, and you are going to be dealing with cramps so bad that you contemplate leaving the game. Cramps so bad that it requires two IVs of sodium chloride solution and more than 30 minutes in the trainer's room leaving writers on deadline sweating bullets. Cramps so bad, standing up is a task almost too tough to take on.
That was Tampa Bay Lightning rookie goalie Dustin Tokarski on Thursday night against the Capitals . They don't seem to be ideal conditions for an audition. Those cramps started to attack five minutes into the third period and considering the game almost went a full overtime, that's just about 20 minutes of NHL goaltending while cramped.
"I almost left, I tried every -- sorry guys," Tokarski said, stopping to complete the chore of fastening the top button on his shirt, a task made tougher with cramped hands. "Every whistle, every TV timeout I was going to get salt, taking pills. The trainers were stretching me out a little bit. But it just didn't stop. I couldn't even stand in the dressing room here after.
"As soon as I sat down my whole body just cramped up. Quads, calves, knees elbows. My hands ... I couldn't open my hands."
Still, Tokarski acquitted himself well. For the first time since Feb. 9, he took a loss as a goalie. He had won eight straight games in the AHL before his callup. In the end, Tokarski put it best himself:
"I gave us a chance to win," he said. "I would have liked obviously to seal the deal in the end. I got a point I guess."
That's it really, that's all the Lightning are looking for at this point in goal. A guy that gives them a chance to win the game. For a while it had been Mathieu Garon , the veteran, who had turned into that serviceable goalie. Behind him the Lightning have come crawling back from the dead and into the playoff race.
| NHL Playoffs | ||
|
||
| More NHL coverage | ||
Then he tore his groin (ouch) and will be on the shelf for the next 3-4 weeks. His backup Dwayne Roloson has been, well, downright awful this season. He'll still play, but if they are going to continue their late push, he'll need help. So that leaves the options as being either Tokarski or finding a goalie in Europe. If Thursday was an indication, Tokarski might get another shot or two, so long as he can stand on his skates.
"You've got to come up here and impress and that's what I want to do, to stick around," Tokarski said. "And for the future too. I got to keep proving myself and not take anything for granted."
What nobody should take for granted is that the Lightning are done in the playoff race. They're not at all. Would it surprise anybody if they actually win the Southeast Division, where they currently trail first-place Florida by five points? Not me.
Keep this in mind: Tampa Bay is going to play the next seven games on home ice. Five of those seven games are against teams that aren't currently in playoff position. It's more than reasonable considering the Lightning are 20-10-2 at home that they can pick up 10 out of 14 points. At least. With the way their division rivals are playing or the schedules they have coming up, that could be enough to move them up.
While the goaltending will remain paramount in that mission, the offense will have to keep on producing. You know the guys like Steven Stamkos (48 goals) and Martin St. Louis . But what about Teddy Purcell ? In the absence of Vincent Lecavalier somebody has had to step up and Purcell has been the guy.
With a goal and an assist on Thursday in the 3-2 OT loss to Washington, Purcell extended his points streak to 11 games and 15 of the last 16. In that 11-game stretch he has seven goals with 15 assists. That's two points per game.
But the prevailing sense is that the Lightning have to get goaltending if they are going to complete this charge. And Purcell was impressed with what he saw even in defeat.
"He was standing on his head in his first game," Purcell said. "I feel real bad for him. First NHL game in a tough building. I remember my first game, how nervous everyone is. Especially for a goaltender with all that offensive power over there, I thought he did a real good job.
"It's just upsetting that we couldn't get the win for him. But it's a good sign at how well he played."
It was a good sign indeed. The Lightning are hoping he can help them cramp everybody else's style in the Southeast so they can steal the three seed.
For more hockey news, rumors and analysis, follow @EyeOnHockey and @BrianStubitsNHL on Twitter and like us on Facebook.
