Sep 20, 2008 11:23 pm US/Eastern
Pens Fall Short To Lightning In 1st Preseason Game
PITTSBURGH (AP) ―
Brandon Bochenski had two goals and an assist, and Jussi Jokinen and No. 1 draft pick Steven Stamkos scored in the shootout to give the Tampa Bay Lightning a 5-4 preseason victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Janne Niskala added a goal and an assist for the Lightning, who tied the game when Bochenski scored with 1:19 to play.
Stamkos, the first overall pick in this year's draft, made a successful NHL debut under new Lightning coach Barry Melrose.
Though limited to two shots and a minus-1 rating in his 21:41 of ice time, the 18-year-old player from Canada showed flashes of the talent that drew comparisons to Penguins captain Sidney Crosby - the top draft pick three years ago.
Crosby gave the Penguins a 4-3 lead with a short-handed, unassisted goal with 2:53 left in regulation. Pittsburgh had erased an early 3-1 deficit with two power-play goals by Petr Sykora.
Jordan Staal scored 51 seconds into the game for Pittsburgh, and Wyatt Smith also scored for Tampa Bay.
While the Penguins didn't use their regular lineup in entirety, most of the top stars - including Crosby, Staal, Evgeni Malkin, goalie Marc-Andre Fleury and newcomer Miroslav Satan - played in the game.
Sergei Gonchar, the Penguins' top defenseman, left the game in the first period after a hit from David Koci. He didn't return, and the Penguins didn't provide information about his injury.
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