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Lightning edge Penguins as Stamkos makes debut

Sep 21, 2008 - 2:49 AM By Chris Adamski PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer

PITTSBURGH (Ticker) -- Dubbed as perhaps the NHL's next superstar, first overall draft pick Steven Stamkos put the finishing touches on the Tampa Bay Lightning's preseason opener.

Jussi Jokinen and Stamkos scored in the shootout and Karri Ramo denied both shooters he faced as the Lightning emerged with a 5-4 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday.

Brandon Bochenski had two goals and an assist, defenseman Janne Niskala netted a tally and set up another and Jokinen added a pair of assists for the Lightning, who rested most of their veterans.

Stars Vincent Lecavalier and Martin St. Louis, as well as most of Tampa Bay's newly acquired players, did not dress for the game. Other than Ramo, only four players in the lineup appeared in a game for the club last season.

Petr Sykora scored twice on the power play and Jordan Staal had a goal and an assist for the Penguins, who rallied from a 3-1 deficit and took the lead on captain Sidney Crosby's shorthander with 2:54 remaining.

However, Bochenski forged a tie 95 seconds later with his second goal of the night, sending the contest to overtime.

After Ramo - who finished with 26 saves - denied Miroslav Satan's backhander in the first round of the shootout, Jokinen gave Tampa Bay the edge, beating Marc-Andre Fleury with a wrist shot. Russian star Evgeni Malkin hit the goalpost with his second-round attempt, and the 18-year-old Stamkos sealed the victory with a wrister.

Fleury turned aside 26 shots for the Penguins, who lost the services of All-Star defenseman Sergei Gonchar to an undisclosed injury in the first period.

Pittsburgh and Tampa Bay both open the regular season overseas on October 4. The Penguins take on the Ottawa Senators in Sweden, while the Lightning face the New York Rangers in the Czech Republic.