Kurtis Foster News

10 in Buffalo. The 25-year-old was pretty sure that was going to be his last game in a Lightning uniform.

Steven Stamkos scored his 15th goal at 2:56 of overtime to give the Tampa Bay Lightning their second straight win, 4-3 over the Atlanta Thrashers on Sunday.

While the plot thickens surrounding the indefinite leave of absence of Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Paul Ranger , teammates and coaches expect the fifth-year defenseman to return at some point.

After a run of six consecutive starts, Antero Niittymaki will take a seat tonight when the Lightning visit Jobing.com Arena outside Phoenix tonight .

The last thing Lightning D Kurtis Foster heard from teammate Paul Ranger was positive.

The Lightning weren't very good on the road early in the season, starting with a 6-3 loss at Atlanta in the season opener.

The league will study whether it should ban hits to the head. But Lightning coach Rick Tocchet said a better idea is eliminating the instigator rule, which penalizes players who intentionally start fights.

Paul Szczechura will make his return to the Lightning lineup tonight when Tampa Bay hosts Minnesota to open a two-game homestand.

Asked Friday about the difference between playing in North America and Europe, the Lightning 's rookie defenseman and Swedish native talked about the quicker NHL game and making faster decisions.

After playing in 181 games with Tampa Bay since being called up during the 2005-06 season and registering 32 goals and 63 points, Craig was sent to the American Hockey League to start the season after not earning a roster spot out of training camp.

In the previous two days, Lecavalier being put on a line with Drew Miller and Stephane Veilleux created a bit of a stir, as did his season-low ice time of 16:06 in Monday's 6-2 loss to Philadelphia.

The Lightning aren't saying why defenseman Paul Ranger was granted an indefinite leave of absence today, and Ranger wasn't available for comment.

The odds of left wing Drew Miller scoring on his brother, goalie Ryan Miller, tonight when the Lightning host the Buffalo Sabres aren't great.

Had circumstances been different, Thursday night's Sharks-Lightning game, won by Tampa Bay 5-2, would have included a notable encounter.

Nothing really worked out today for those of us who like a good story. Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Kurtis Foster was scratched from tonight's game with the Sharks, and San Jose center Torrey Mitchell is on long-term injured reserve with tendinitis in his left knee and is not even with the team.

"You are not drawing too many penalties when you are chasing the puck," Konopka said.

The Lightning could not have played much worse Thursday night against the Senators.

Milan Michalek recorded the first hat trick of his career, as the Ottawa Senators handled the Tampa Bay Lightning, 7-1, at Scotiabank Place.

Make no mistake, coach Rick Tocchet said, Mike Smith is the Lightning's No. 1 goaltender.

Ryan Malone #12 of the Tampa Bay Lightning celebrates with teammate Steven Stamkos #91 after scoring a goal against the Carolina Hurricanes in the second period at the St.