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Drouin, Bishop help Bolts slide past Jets

Oct 25, 2014 - 4:20 AM Winnipeg, MB (SportsNetwork.com) - Jonathan Drouin scored his first career goal and added one assist, while Ben Bishop stopped 40 shots, as Tampa Bay claimed a 4-2 victory over Winnipeg at MTS Centre.

Ondrej Palat notched a score and a helper, while Steven Stamkos and Vladislav Namestnikov also tallied for the Lightning, who improved to 3-1-0 on a five- game road trip that ends in Minnesota on Saturday.

Bryan Little and Blake Wheeler each scored once for the Jets, who stumbled to their fifth loss in six games. Tobias Enstrom picked up two assists but Ondrej Pavelec surrendered all four goals on just 18 shots through two periods in defeat.

Palat's rip from the bottom of the right circle on a Bolts advantage was tipped in by Namestnikov and gave the visitors a 3-1 lead with 7:08 left before the second intermission. Palat then struck from the left wing off a 2- on-1 rush with Tyler Johnson, to make it 4-1.

Pavelec was replaced by Michael Hutchinson in the third to modest results.

Wheeler's marker off a scrum in the slot just past the midway point of the third brought the Jets within 4-2, but the hosts failed to click despite nearly two minutes with an extra skater at the end of regulation.

"I'll tell you the one thing I was proud of though is how we played in the third," Tampa Bay coach Jon Cooper said. "I know we got outscored 1-0 in the third, but we had grade 'A's, and I didn't think we gave up much."

Stamkos and Drouin teamed up to put the Bolts on the board at 4:41 of the first, with the former tapping home a feed from the latter at the left post.

The Jets failed to click with 1:21 of a two-man advantage in the latter stages of the first, and came up empty despite 16 shots on goal.

Bishop robbed Mathieu Perreault on a breakaway with a glove stop 1:44 into the second, but Winnipeg gained a power play when Radko Gudas went off for hooking.

Shortly after the penalty expired, Drouin hit the near side from the top of the left circle for his milestone marker and Tampa led 2-0 at 4:45.

"It's just back-breaking some of those moments in the game, we just can't escape from it seems like, and we just give up too good of a look, and it's in our net, and that's on us," Wheeler said. "We need to do a better job of trying to keep them on the outside, and when they do get opportunities, bear down in front of our net and let our goalie see the puck."

Only 28 seconds after Gudas was sent off for high-sticking, Little's one-timer off a dish from Enstrom eluded Bishop at 5:33. It was Winnipeg's first power- play goal of the season in 23 attempts.

Game Notes

Stamkos' 25 goals vs. Atlanta/Winnipeg franchise is the most among active players since 2008 ... Drouin left later in the first period and eventually returned after taking a hit from behind by Jets forward Chris Thorburn along the left-wing boards near the goal line ... Lightning forwards J.T. Brown (upper body) and Brett Connolly (lower body) left the game and did not return.