"Lightning goaltender Dwayne Roloson has a surefire way of determining during practice if he is on his game.

"Well," he said with a straight face, "the puck hits you."

Roloson laughed at the throw-away line, but he actually was on to something. Because ultimately, that is how his return to the starting lineup tonight against the Jets at the St. Pete Times Forum will be judged.

"I'm really anxious to be back in and play," Roloson said. "I had time off to work on a lot of stuff. I'd like to see it in a game and see where we're at."

Roloson hasn't started since Oct. 17 against the Panthers, when he allowed seven goals on 33 shots. That was the culmination of an awful three-game stretch in which he did not play well, the team gave him little defensive help and he allowed 17 goals.

He redeemed himself somewhat during Thursday's 5-3 loss to the Predators by stopping all 10 shots he faced in 26 minutes in relief of Mathieu Garon.

That, coupled with how Roloson apparently excelled in what goaltenders coach Frantz Jean described as a back-to-basics practice program, has the team convinced Roloson is primed."