Paul Ranger News

D Paul Ranger , D Mattias Ohlund out. Thrashers - G Kari Lehtonen , out; D Boris Valabik , questionable.

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.

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

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.

At this point of the season, continuing to work hard is all Smaby can do as he waits for the opportunity to make his season debut.

Hedman skated Monday for the first time since getting drilled by Chris Neil in a 3-2 overtime loss to the Senators, but the effects of getting his heart rate up won't be fully known until after he gets a night of sleep.

Victor Hedman practiced Monday at the Ice Sports Forum and was to see a doctor to determine if his brain activity is normal.

Vincent Lecavalier and former Habs forward Alex Tanguay face the Canadiens in Montreal on Saturday.

D Paul Ranger , D Victor Hedman , out. Canadiens - D Andrei Markov , D Ryan O'Byrne , Hal Gill , Matt D'Agostini , out; LW Georges Laraque , questionable.

C Vinny Lecavalier said making the Canadian Olympic team for the 2010 Games in Vancouver is "very important to me." That is why Tuesday's game in Toronto, with Team Canada executive director Steve Yzerman in the stands, was so crucial.

As Jason Spezza raised his arms in celebration Thursday night, he also let out a huge sigh of relief.

After a few days of hinting that changes might be coming to the Tampa Bay Lightning roster, the team made a change Thursday in calling up forward Ryan Craig from the minor league.

Tampa Bay Lightning netminder Antero Niittymaki, left, makes a save on Toronto Maple Leafs forward Niklas Hagman, right, during second period NHL action on Tuesday, Nov.

Coach Rick Tocchet reiterated there could be roster changes in the not-so-distant future if the Lightning did not pick up its intensity, especially on the road.

As if returning to his hometown of Toronto wasn't enough for C Steven Stamkos , tonight's game with the Maple Leafs will be an Olympic audition.

14. With the schedule spread out and Tampa Bay playing four games in a two-week stretch at home, Niittymaki watched Mike Smith play the first three games of the homestand, with the Lightning going 2-0-1. But it was Niittymaki's play Saturday that ensured the Lightning would keep their stretch of seven games at home without a regulation loss intact ...

Backup G Antero Niittymaki, making his first start in two weeks due to the Lightning's light schedule, said it "felt like forever" since he had been in a game.

Steven Stamkos is fast becoming an elite NHL player. Stamkos had two power-play goals and an assist to help the Tampa Bay Lightning beat the Ottawa Senators 5-2 on Thursday night.

Almost five months after he finished radiation treatments, and three weeks since his latest tests confirmed his cancer is in remission, John Tucker still cannot taste.

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