Monday, February 4, 2013
Lightning riding Lindback
By Tom Carpenter
Veteran Mathieu Garon made what was only his second start of the season on Saturday, a 3-2 loss to the New York Rangers. When asked why Garon was seeing so little action, coach Guy Boucher pulled no punches, saying that the team is focused entirely on turning the younger Anders Lindback into a bona fide No. 1 netminder, according to Damian Cristodero of the Tampa Bay Times.
"We have a youngster we're trying to groom and give him ice time," Boucher said. "There are a few games I could have thrown Mathieu out there, but the plan is to give (Lindback) as many games as we can so he can catch up on the games he's missed the last two years."
Boucher is referring to Lindback's role as a seldom-used backup to Pekka Rinne, when he played just 38 times in two seasons. Currently, Lindback is carrying a four-game winning streak and sports a 2.84 GAA and .911 SV%. It seems clear that Lindback is going to see the bulk of action in net going forward.
