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BOX SCORE
PITTSBURGH (AP) -- Even on Friday the 13th and with a full moon
out, the Pittsburgh Penguins still proved to be lucky in their home
opener.
The Penguins scored two goals on deflections off Tampa Bay
players and held on for a 3-2 victory Friday night over the
Lightning.
"Two goals like that is unbelievable," Lightning defenseman
Pavel Kubina said. "You could do that 1,000 times again and not
score a goal."
Pittsburgh (2-1-0) made it 2-0 at 7:40 of the second period when
Lightning defenseman Cory Sarich kicked the puck from the slot past
Tampa Bay goalie Kevin Weekes. Matthew Barnaby, who was closest to
the net, was given credit for his first goal of the season.
"All of a sudden, the puck got chipped out," Sarich said. "It
hit me and bounced straight back to the net like a slingshot. It
was like slow motion watching it go in."
Jaromir Jagr's first goal of the season, with 12:17 remaining,
gave Pittsburgh a 3-1 lead. After trying to stuff a shot inside the
right goal post, Jagr gathered the rebound and flipped the puck
over the net off Kubina and past Weekes.
"We had our chances, many scoring chances and we put two pucks
in our own net. That's the way she goes," Lightning coach Steve
Ludzik said.
Jagr is trying to join Gordie Howe, Phil Esposito and Wayne
Gretzky as the only players in league history to win four straight
scoring titles.
Alexei Kovalev also scored and Jean-Sebastien Aubin made 23
saves for the Penguins, who played before a crowd of 14,927.
Pittsburgh started the regular season last weekend in Japan by
splitting a two-game series with Nashville.
Kovalev gave the Penguins the lead they would not relinquish
just 2:13 in. Leading an odd-man rush, Martin Straka passed to
Robert Lang in the slot. Lang one-timed a pass to Kovalev, standing
alone at the right goal post, for an easy tip-in past Weekes.
"I just want to go out there and play," Kovalev said. "We
have to focus, and play 60 minutes, not 45 minutes or 30 minutes."
Penguins coach Ivan Hlinka, thought his team just needed to
simplify.
"I think the first period, we played not bad hockey, and then
after that we complicated the game," he said. "We complicate the
game for us in our zone. We took too many passes and they stop the
play."
Weekes, acquired from the New York Islanders in a draft-day
trade, made his Lightning debut and also stopped 23 shots.
Tampa Bay (0-2-1) is winless in its last seven road games since
defeating eventual Stanley Cup champion New Jersey on March 17.
Vincent Lecavalier, the top pick in the 1998 draft, scored his
first goal of the season for Tampa Bay less than two minutes after
Barnaby's marker to cut the lead to 2-1.
Brian Holzinger scored for the Lightning midway through the
third period to again make it a one-goal game at 3-2.
Game notes
Pittsburgh is 1-0-3 in its last four home openers and
19-8-7 overall. ... A moment of silence was observed for A.T.
Caggiano, the Penguins' dressing room attendant since the team
joined the NHL in 1967. Caggiano was 80 when he died in May. ...
The Penguins will play four of their next five games at home. ...
The Lightning are 2-7-0 in road openers. ... Tampa Bay has eight
former first-round and four former second-round draft picks on its
roster. ... Lecavalier needs two points for 100 in his career. ...
The Lightning have killed off all 21 short-handed situations this
season..
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ALSO SEE
NHL Scoreboard
Tampa Bay Clubhouse
Pittsburgh Clubhouse
RECAPS
Ottawa 3
New Jersey 1
Carolina 2
Florida 2
Pittsburgh 3
Tampa Bay 2
Nashville 3
Washington 1
St. Louis 2
Minnesota 0
Edmonton 3
Buffalo 2
Los Angeles 5
Boston 0
AUDIO/VIDEO
 Vincent Lecavalier scores the power-play goal.
avi: 775 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
Matthew Barnaby gets the lucky bounce off the defenders skate for a goal.
avi: 828 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
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