By Damian Cristodero, Times Staff Writer
Monday, April 4, 2011
Lecavalier might play
BUFFALO, N.Y. — Vinny Lecavalier's injured right eye has no structural damage, the team said, and the Lightning captain, listed as day to day, did not rule out playing tonight against the Sabres. "Right now, I couldn't play," Lecavalier said Monday after being examined by Sabres team ophthalmologist Andrew Siedlecki. "It's blurry, and when I try to focus, it's tough. It's easier with sunglasses. But I might wake up (today) and be fine." Lecavalier sustained a scratch and contusion on his cornea Sunday when the Blackhawks' Michael Frolik inadvertently hit him with his stick blade. Three stitches closed a wound above Lecavalier's eye. Lecavalier said pressure changes during the flight from Chicago to Buffalo were difficult. "It felt like it was behind my eyeball," he said. "It hurt when I moved my eye and tried to focus. I had to keep them closed. It was very uncomfortable." He said Siedlecki told him, "I got pretty lucky." Lecavalier said he will skate this morning before deciding whether to play. "If he's comfortable, he'll play," GM Steve Yzerman said. "If he's got discomfort, because it is his eye, he won't." Lecavalier will wear a visor, something he had discarded because he said it hinders his vision. "(Siedlecki) wants me to play with it the rest of the season to protect it," Lecavalier said. "As for keeping it permanently, I don't know. I'll have to try it again this summer and see how it feels. The smart thing to do would be to wear one, for sure."
Damian Cristodero, Times staff writer