Rookie Brett Connolly will skate in his ninth game with Tampa Bay on Tuesday night in Buffalo. The Lightning will soon be faced with the decision to keep him on their roster or return him to junior before the first year of his entry-level contract kicks in. "Every day we pile on the pluses and the minuses concerning his future and concerning our future and there has to be somewhere in there, something that tells us that both can be combined for this year for us to keep him," coach Guy Boucher said. "Up to now he has shown us enough stuff that he can play with the better offensive players on our team." Connolly has two assists, 17 shots and a plus-4 rating in eight games this season.