Syracuse, N.Y. — Defenseman Slater Koekkoek was given a clear, simple set of instructions from Tampa Bay when the Lightning assigned him to the Syracuse Crunch on Friday.

He said he was told to go play some hockey.

Koekkoek obliged with a strong effort in Syracuse's 4-2 win over Albany on Friday in the War Memorial.

But after the game, the third-year pro made clear his feelings about his temporary new address.

"I was upset,'' Koekkoek said of his reaction. "I don't want to be sent down ever. But if I have to, then there's nothing I can really do about it. It's tough (being patient). It wears on you. I thought I was playing well. To have that taken away is hard. There's really nothing I could do about it. I have to come down here and play as hard as I can. It was a good win tonight for Syracuse. That's what I'm here for.''

Koekkoek, 22, made Tampa Bay out of training camp this season and has appeared in 17 games with the Lightning, posting four assists and a plus-2 rating, The 2012 first-rounder was a healthy scratch in Tampa Bay's loss to Vancouver on Thursday.

While the promising Koekkoek is still finding his way in the NHL, he appears to have far greater upside and would be a bigger part of the solution than struggling defensemen such as Andrej Sustr and Nikita Nesterov. But both of those players would have to clear NHL waivers before coming to Syracuse.

"I thought I had a good weekend the weekend before. We got three out of four points. But then I guess coach (Jon Cooper) wanted to go with a different lineup,'' Koekkoek said.

The Lightning has dropped six of its last seven.

"I think we're just going through a tough patch,'' he said. "Teams are good. Teams are after us. With video these days, they know how we play. We've got to adjust that. I think we'll do it. It's just going to take a little time.''