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Mark Barberio tries to keep his game simple

 
Tampa Bay Lightning Mark Barberio (8) (center) celebrates his game winning goal along with his team after beating Nashville Predators goalie Marek Mazanec (39) in the third period during preseason hockey at the Amalie Arena in Tampa (09/23/14).
Tampa Bay Lightning Mark Barberio (8) (center) celebrates his game winning goal along with his team after beating Nashville Predators goalie Marek Mazanec (39) in the third period during preseason hockey at the Amalie Arena in Tampa (09/23/14).
Published Nov. 23, 2014

TAMPA — For the first 18 games, D Mark Barberio was mostly a spectator, a healthy scratch in all but three.

Barberio, 24, knows the drill, having sat for long stretches last season. That helped him mentally prepare for this time around. But as Barberio cracked the lineup Saturday against the Wild for the third time in the past four games, he said he has found that by keeping things simple, he can have success.

One exception was Barberio's second-period turnover that led to the Wild's goal in the Lightning's 2-1 win.

"It just comes with more time in the league," Barberio said. "Maybe I've settled in more, got more poise back there, where last year when I was coming in, I was really jumpy and almost had a bit of happy feet — kind of tried to do too much. This year I'm letting the game come to me and keep things simple as possible."

Associate coach Rick Bowness said Barberio understands he'll be in and out of the lineup but his attitude and work ethic make it work. "He's a true pro," Bowness said. "It's killing him not to play, but you'd never know that. He's handling it very, very well."

With Barberio in, D Eric Brewer was scratched for the third time last week. C Cedric Paquette, who missed Thursday's game against the Maple Leafs with a lower-body injury, was back. C Vladislav Namestnikov spent his 22nd birthday as a healthy scratch for the first time this season. "There's 14 forwards, all great players," he said. "Someone has to sit out."

Bowness said that with the Lightning playing its ninth game in 15 days, it was trying to "utilize everybody." LW Brenden Morrow was also scratched. "Everyone wants to play and gets upset when they don't play," Bowness said. "But it's important we use as many fresh legs as we can."

The lines were LW Alex Killorn-C Steven Stamkos-Ryan Callahan; LW Ondrej Palat-C Tyler Johnson-Nikita Kucherov; LW Jonathan Drouin-C Valtteri Filppula-Brett Connolly, and Paquette-C Brian Boyle-J.T. Brown.

STEPPING UP: D Jason Garrison has lived up to expectations, Bowness said.

"He's a solid defensive defenseman, takes care of business," Bowness said. "He's hard to play against; he makes simple plays. But he does a lot of things on the ice that may go unnoticed."

Bowness said that in "a perfect world," Garrison and D Matt Carle play in the 20-minute range, but both have had to take on more with Victor Hedman (fractured finger) out. Hedman skated in a red noncontact jersey Saturday and continues to shoot, but he is still wearing a splint. He'll have a five-week checkup this week. He could return by the time the homestand ends Nov. 29.

ICE CHIPS: Palat and Filppula were alternate captains. … AHL Syracuse set a U.S. pro hockey indoor attendance record in Saturday's Frozen Dome Classic at the Carrier Dome with an attendance of 30,715 for a game against Utica. … LW Adam Erne, the second-round draft pick in 2013, continues to play well for the junior Quebec Remparts, entering Saturday with 15 points in an eight-game points streak, 16 goals and 17 assists in 19 games. … The Lightning received 10,000 pounds of food in a drive with Metropolitan Ministries on Saturday.