TAMPA — For a good portion of the season, Matt Carle sat and watched. And waited.
The veteran defenseman had been a frequent healthy scratch, out of the lineup 14 times since Dec. 6, not playing in more than three consecutive games between then and Feb. 16.
But with Jason Garrison injured, Carle has been called upon to provide some quality minutes.
While it was a bit of a struggle to get back into a flow, particularly on Feb. 16 against San Jose when he had a minus-3 rating, Carle’s play was a factor in the three-game winning streak Tampa Bay carries into Tuesday night’s game against Arizona.