The Tampa Tribune: With the regular season scheduled to get underway Thursday in Atlanta, Fedotenko, who picked up a second assist in the second period, said there is no way to really know how long it is going to take to get back into game shape.
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«With Ruslan we always talk about consistency," Tortorella said. «I think if he stays healthy and really gets into the game situation, we are really looking for a big year out him. It's important, we lose Modin, we lose 30 goals there and it has to be picked up somewhere else. We always talk about the three guys [Brad Richards, Vinny Lecavalier and Martin St. Louis], but Ruslan has to bring some, too.»

St. Petersburg Times: Ruslan Fedotenko had two assists, threw a jarring check and got into two face-downs with Stars troublemaker and former Lightning player Matthew Barnaby.
Not a bad night's work for the Lightning right wing who on Saturday played his first game, a disappointing 4-3 overtime loss at the American Airlines Center in which Tampa Bay, in its preseason finale, lost a three-goal, second-period lead.
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«I felt pretty good, considering it was the first game," said Fedotenko, who for the second straight year is recovering from offseason surgery to his left hip. «By the third period, I got a little tired, but that's just a condition thing. The hip held up pretty good.»
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«Feds has worked hard," Tortorella said. «We know he's in good shape. It's just a matter of getting him ready for the quickness of the game.»

The Tampa Tribune: FEDOTENKO FINE: RW Ruslan Fedotenko reported no problems following Saturday's preseason finale in Dallas, the winger's first action of the exhibition schedule.
Fedotenko underwent hip surgery in May to help return a torn labrum and had been held out of any contact — including scrimmages — until the Dallas game.
«It felt pretty good," Fedotenko said. «I played the third period a little tired, but that's just conditioning. The hip held up pretty good.»
Fedotenko ended up playing 16 minutes and assisted on the first two Lightning goals against the Stars.

The Tampa Tribune: Ryan Craig will start the game playing left wing on a line with Ruslan Fedotenko and Lecavalier. Vinny Prospal will begin play with Eric Perrin and Nikita Alexeev. Andreas Karlsson, who returned to practice Thursday after missing two games with a groin strain, was on a line with Tim Taylor and Nick Tarnasky. … Tortorella said G Andreas Holmqvist will get his first start in one of the two games against Florida, but didn't specify which game he would be in net.

The Tampa Tribune: The night started well for the Lightning after Lecavalier provided Tampa Bay with its first lead this season with his first goal of the season 1:18 into the game. After Ruslan Fedotenko intercepted a pass at center ice, he raced into the zone and provided a screen for Lecavalier to fire a wrist shot past Auld.

Sports Network: Then, with 6:12 left in the middle stanza, Lecavalier collected the puck behind the net and found Fedotenko in the slot. Niittymaki stopped Fedotenko's initial shot, but the former Flyer stuffed the rebound into the back of the net.

Sports Network: The Lightning jumped out to a 1-0 lead when Fedotenko scored his fourth goal of the season at the 7:02 mark of the opening period. Fedotenko accepted a long pass from Cory Sarich in the neutral zone and crossed the blue line before he avoided a broken stick that was laying on the ice. Fedotenko faked a slap shot, which forced Carolina defenseman Glen Wesley out of position, then used Wesley as a screen to beat Ward with a wrist shot from the top of the right circle that deflected off the right post.
«I'm trying to work on my wrist shot," said Fedotenko. «I try not to use the slap shot. (My wrist shot) seems hard for (other goaltenders) to read, so I'm trying to take advantage of that.»

The Tampa Tribune: Whether that contract is with the Lightning remains to be seen, but General Manager Jay Feaster won't wait around until after the season to begin exploring ways to keep the Ukrainian-born forward in a Tampa Bay uniform.
«The reality is, if we wait until the summer, the end of the season, you're dealing with a tighter time frame," Feaster said. «And I think the tighter the time frame, the closer the time frame is to July 1, it changes the dynamic.
«Because if the player's not getting exactly what he wants from you, I think the player says, 'I'll just wait. Why not wait?' And obviously, at that point, the player knows exactly what his year has looked like, he knows where he fits in, in his mind. I think with this new collective bargaining agreement, it almost demands that if you want the player, you have to start talking when you're permitted to, which in this case is January.»
What Feaster left unsaid was that if no contract can be agreed upon before the trade deadline in March, any potential free agent would become fair game in order to fill needs late in the season.
The way things are going so far, though, trading Fedotenko doesn't look like an option.
«I think Feds has been one of our stronger guys on the puck," Lightning coach John Tortorella said Thursday, after Fedotenko scored his 99th NHL goal and recorded an assist against the Hurricanes. "[He's excelled], as far as protecting it in our end zone, not giving it back to the other team, as far as trying to break out of our end zone, forechecking. He's had a couple of good hits that caused goals. He's been very good.»

St. Petersburg Times]For as long as he can remember, Ruslan Fedotenko has heard the same suggestion over and over.Shoot more.
“When I was in juniors, when I was in Philly, everybody was telling me to shoot more often,” the Lightning wing said. “My wife tells me, everybody, my kids … strangers in the street.”
It’s not a hollow suggestion. Lightning coach John Tortorella calls Fedotenko’s wrist shot one of the best in the league. He’s not suddenly trigger-happy, but Fedotenko is taking more opportunities./quote:

USA Today: «And maybe our most consistent player and our hardest worker every night may be (Ruslan) Fedotenko," Feaster said. «He's also added even a bit of a physical presence.»

The Tampa Tribune: When Lightning D Dan Boyle scored his first goal of the season Saturday — about five minutes into the second period — he didn't even get to celebrate the moment. But he'll take it, nonetheless.
It wasn't until the second intermission that Boyle was awarded his first goal in 21 regular-season games, dating to April 9 against Florida. The second-period power-play goal originally was given to Ruslan Fedotenko, who appeared to have tipped in Boyle's blast from the point.

The Sports Network: Tampa Bay forward Ruslan Fedotenko took an elbow to the eye late in the first period and was helped off the ice. He returned to action in the second...

The Tampa Tribune: Even as momentum shifted in favor of New York, the Lightning missed several chances to extend their early lead. One missed opportunity came when the puck slipped off a wide-open Ruslan Fedotenko's stick on a feed from Richards with 10:59 to play in the second.

USA TODAY: —RW Ruslan Fedotenko dropped down to the third line late in Friday's game, replaced by Eric Perrin on the line with Vinny Lecavalier and Vinny Prospal.

Fox Sports: The Lightning certainly won't peddle Lecavalier or Richards to their intra-state rivals so strike Florida from this list. Calgary GM Darryl Sutter continues to resist a major shakeup of his club, especially after their recent six-game winning streak.
Chicago, Columbus, St. Louis and Colorado could all use some help this season but there's little they could offer up to convince Lightning management to part with Lecavalier or Richards.
If Lightning management finally does pursue a trade, expect more affordable lesser lights such as Marc Denis, Vaclav Prospal or Ruslan Fedotenko to hit the block.

The Boston Globe: Kessel did just that, steaming toward the net and snapping a neat wrister over Denis's glove. At the other end, after turning aside the first six Tampa Bay shooters, Thomas forced forward Ruslan Fedotenko to shoot wide of the net, giving a turned-away Lewis —- he watched all 12 previous shooters but stared at Zdeno Chara's helmet instead of tracking Kessel and Fedotenko —- the confirmation he needed.
«It certainly was music to my ears when it hit the glass," said Lewis of Fedotenko's shot.
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n the third period, Glen Murray looked like he might be the goat. Murray sent a clearing pass that deflected off the skate of forward Vaclav Prospal, sending the puck skittering back into the Boston zone as the Bruins were rushing the other way. As Fedotenko fished the puck out of the right corner, linemate Vincent Lecavalier charged toward the net.
Fedotenko saw his teammate and fed Lecavalier the puck for an uncontested goal at 9:50.

St. Petersburg Times: Ruslan Fedotenko spent a lot of time during the preseason strengthening his surgically repaired left hip.
But with games coming fast and furious during the regular season, the Lightning wing said, his workout program has been inconsistent and his lower body lost strength, leading to fatigue.
It is not an excuse, Fedotenko said. But it is part of the dynamic contributing to a streak in which he has no goals in 12 straight games and only one in 16.
His assist Thursday, earned while taking a huge hit, was his first point in 11 games.

The Tampa Tribune: Ruslan Fedotenko has been one of the team's most consistent players this season both defensively and in his play away from the puck, according to Coach John Tortorella.
But entering Thursday Fedotenko had not picked up a point since Nov. 6 and has not scored a goal since Nov. 4. After 15 games Fedotenko had six goals and 12 points, but hadn't had a point in the past 10 games.
«He's an important part of our club, not only for his play away from the puck, but he's a huge piece to the offense," Tortorella said. «He's been nicked up a little bit, but we have to find a way to get him going. I'm going to put him back up with Vinny [Lecavalier] and start him there to see if we can jump-start him somehow to get him going.»