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Friday, Oct. 6 7:30pm ET
Tampa Bay gives up two leads

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TAMPA, Fla. (AP) -- The New York Islanders were frustrated by a season-opening tie.

Claude Lapointe scored two goals, including the equalizer midway through the third period, as the Islanders and Tampa Bay Lightning played to a 3-3 tie Friday night in the season opener for both teams.

"It should have been a win, but it's going to happen," Lapointe said. "It's only a point, but we played well. We're happy with that."

The Islanders outshot Tampa Bay 36-24. Lightning goalie Dan Cloutier made a number of strong saves, including a lunging pad stop on Tim Connolly during a 2-on-1 with just under eight minutes left in the third period.

"That's what we're going to need all season is that kind of goaltending," Tampa Bay coach Steve Ludzik said. "I don't think we can script it any better. He made scintillating saves to say the least."

After Petr Svoboda put the Lightning up 3-2 at 4:59 of the third period, Lapointe's second goal of the game from in-close tied it at 9:57.

"I guess it's a little frustrating," Islanders coach Butch Goring said. "When you're down 3-2, you're happy just to get a point. Once we tied it up, especially with the power play for about a minute in overtime, it's a little frustrating. Still, it's a point better than we had last year at the start of the season."

The teams were a combined 1-for-17, including the Islanders failing to convert eight chances, on the power play. A total of 20 penalties were called.

"It's a weird game," New York goalie John Vanbiesbrouck said. "If you shore up your special teams, it will take you a long way."

Tampa Bay, coming off its third consecutive 50-loss season, also got goals from Pavel Kubina and Mike Johnson.

Roman Hamrlik had the other New York goal and set up Lapointe's second tally.

The announced crowd of 20,686 was the largest for a hockey game at the five-year old Ice Palace.

The Lightning, since the start of the 1997-98 season, are 1-12-28 in overtime. Tampa Bay hasn't won in the extra session since beating the Islanders 2-1 on Dec. 12, 1998. New York was 5-1-9 in overtime contests last season.

After Hamrlik, a former Lightning All-Star, scored the lone first period goal at 7:36, Tampa Bay took a 2-1 lead on second period goals by Kubina, at 4:34, and Johnson, at 8:49.

Lapointe tied it on a short-handed breakway at 15:42 of the second.

Game notes
The Lightning activated Svoboda, Bryan Muir, Paul Mara, Andrei Zyuzin and Steve Martins from the injured list. ... Vanbiesbrouck is 15-6-5 against Tampa Bay. ... Zyuzin was called for five penalties, totaling 18 minutes. He did not play in the final period.

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AUDIO/VIDEO
video
Roman Hamrlik blasts the shot past Dan Cloutier.
avi: 694 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1

Vincent Lecavalier sets up Mike Johnson for the goal.
avi: 810 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1