Konopka scores rare goal in Lightning win

APNews | Jan 02, 2010

Zenon Konopka celebrated his 29th birthday with a rare goal and the Tampa Bay Lightning beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 3-1 on Saturday.

Tampa Bay went up 2-1 on Konopka's second of the season, a rebound effort at 14:26 of the second. He has six goals in 79 career games.

Martin St. Louis and Steve Downie also scored for the Lightning, who have won five of seven.

Bill Guerin scored for the defending Stanley Cup champion Penguins, who have lost four in a row. Sidney Crosby, who has one goal in his last seven games, and Evgeni Malkin, without a goal over his past four games, were shut out again.

Downie made it 3-1 from the right circle at 7:11 of the third.

St. Louis put the Lightning up 1-0 with a backhander at 1:03 of the first. The right wing has three goals and 10 points during a seven-game point streak.

Guerin's rebound backhander tied it with 2:45 left in the first.

Pittsburgh goalie Marc-Andre Fleury made a pad save on Lightning captain Vincent Lecavalier's penalty shot with 15:16 remaining in the third. Fleury allowed a penalty-shot goal to Buffalo's Drew Stafford on Dec. 29.

Malkin hit the post during a 2-on-1 midway through the third. Mike Smith also stopped an in-close chance by the Pittsburgh center.

NOTES: Penguins D Sergei Gonchar, hit in the foot by a shot Wednesday, didn't play. ... Tampa Bay recalled RW Brandon Bochenski from Norfolk of the AHL. ... Guerin has 421 career goals, including 13 this season.

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