The smells of breakfast were more enjoyable this Christmas morning.
Defenseman Mike Lundin and his family gathered at his
Minnesota home with no games for AHL Norfolk during Christmas week.
Then came the call on Christmas Eve; Lundin was being recalled to
the Lightning.
He's making the most of this trip.
The highlight has been his second-period goal Saturday in a
4-3 win against the Thrashers, his first goal in 111 NHL games.
He was rewarded with a spot Monday night against Boston.
Lundin's handling of the puck was a big part of his goal
against Atlanta. He made a steal in the neutral zone, then turned
up ice and dished to C Vinny Lecavalier at the blue line. Caught up
in the rush, he kept chugging toward the net, took the return pass
and flipped the puck high into the net.
When congratulatory text messages began pouring in, the
reactions were similar.
"A lot of people didn't even know I was up here," Lundin
said. "They thought I was in minors, and now I'm on (TV) scoring.
(The messages) filled the inbox."
Coach Rick Tocchet had this assessment: " He played really
well. He had a solid game. He scored a goal, played well
defensively. He was on the ice while (high-scoring Thrashers LW
Ilya Kovalchuk) was on the ice with (Lightning D Mattias Ohlund).
He did a nice job. He's proven that he's an NHL defenseman."
The 81 games Lundin played for the Lightning during the
2007-08 season gave him lots of ice time, but he began to lose
confidence. He has spent most of the past two seasons in Norfolk
getting plenty of opportunities in the top defensive pairings and
on power plays, he said.
"Last year, I got that confidence back in the minors," Lundin
said. "My game has improved a lot. Now it's just getting a chance
to find a steady position up here. I know my game is at the level
where I can consistently play up here and contribute to the team."
