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| 20th November, 2008 - 2:18 pm |  NHL.com - When interim coach Rick Tocchet replaced Barry Melrose last Friday, one of the things Tocchet wanted to do was get Steven Stamkos more ice time. Under Barry Melrose, Stamkos never played more than 15 minutes in a game, was averaging a little less than 12 minutes a game and failed to reach the 10-minute mark of ice time in five games, including Melrose?s last on Nov. 13.
Many felt the inconsistent amount of ice time was affecting the rookie's performance. In 16 games under Melrose, Stamkos had 2 goals, 4 points and was a minus-7.
Sunday night, Tocchet sent a message to the youngster when he had Stamkos take the opening faceoff against Rod Brind'Amour, one of the best face-off men in the League.
Tuesday, he had Stamkos start the game on the wing on a line with All-Stars Vincent Lecavalier and Martin St. Louis.
"I definitely felt really good out there, and starting the game playing with Vinny Lecavalier and Marty St. Louis helped me to get my confidence going," Stamkos told reporters. "Interim coach Rick Tocchet has been great with me, giving me an opportunity out there, and you definitely feel like you are in the game. I had tons of shots and was making some plays offensively and I felt great." [READ] |
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