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Wow, what a bolt: 7-3!

 
Published Oct. 8, 1992|Updated Oct. 12, 2005

Who does Chris Kontos think he is? Brett Hull and Mario Lemieux combined?

The left wing, who was penciled in before training camp to play for the Tampa Bay Lightning's farm team in Atlanta, scored four goals Wednesday night to lead the expansion team to its first win in history on its first try.

The Stanley Cup finalist Chicago Blackhawks wimpered out the Florida State Fairground's Expo Hall with a 7-3 loss.

The Lightning is the first expansion team since 1972 to win its first game. The Atlanta Flames (now Calgary) beat the New York Islanders 3-2 on the road exactly 20 years ago Wednesday.

The Blackhawks fall to 29-22-16 in season openers (11-14-6 in season openers on the road).

"It's just first game to me," said Lightning center Anatoli Semenov, 30, of the former Soviet Union. "But how we play is very important. If we do good, people like hockey. If we do bad, people don't like hockey."

After the Lightning's first period, it's a pretty good guess the fans like hockey.

In what has to be one of the wildest periods in hockey, the Lightning shellshocked the Blackhawks and goalie Ed Belfour for five goals in the first 20 minutes of play before a capacity crowd of 10,425.

Belfour had the best goals-against average in the NHL last season at 2.47. After Wednesday, that figure is 7.00.

The Lightning's output tied the most goals allowed by Chicago in any game last season.

The fans had to be awakened after sitting through 45 minutes of ice dancers, speeches and introductions. They chanted "Hockey, hockey, hockey."

Kontos set off the alarm clock.

With the help of lots of Chicago penalties, Kontos scored the first two goals in Lightning history with the Blackhawks down two players each time.

Just 15 seconds into the first 5-on-3, Rob Zamuner who was at the bottom of the left faceoff circle, fired a cross-ice pass to Kontos, who tipped it into the open net.

On almost the same play, Kontos scored again on a pass by John Tucker. And just like that, the Lightning was up 2-0 only 5:41 into the game.

Steve Smith was called for cross-checking at 6:13, which gave the Lightning another 5-on-3. Smith slammed the door to the penalty box. But Tampa Bay couldn't capitalize.

The expansion team soon looked like an expansion team. Chicago defensemen Cam Russell dumped the puck in from center ice for a line change. But the puck took a few bad bounces and bounced right past Tampa Bay goalie Wendell Young to make it 2-1.

Lightning general manager Phil Esposito chewed his gum faster.

But Semenov and Ken Hodge soon made the fans forget about Young's blunder. Thirty-one seconds after Chicago's score, Rob DiMaio dug the puck out of the corner to Basil McRae. McRae gave a perfect cross-ice pass to Semenov, who tipped it in from the right side of the crease.

Hodge scored 19 seconds later. Zamuner fired a shot from the slot, which rebounded off Belfour and Russell to Hodge. Hodge threaded a wrist shot between Belfour's stick and the left post.

But the Lightning wasn't through in the first period. With both teams down a player, DiMaio and Marc Bergevin had a 2-on-1 against Smith. DiMaio waited and then fed Bergevin, who scored and then pumped his fist. With 2:39 left in the period, it was 5-1 Tampa Bay.

Kontos added both Lightning goals in the second period. The 29-year-old from Toronto, who has bounced between the NHL and the minors for the last 10 years, scored on a bang-bang play off an assist from Mikael Andersson and a redirected tip of Joe Reekie's slap shot on the power play.

Kontos joined select company: In 880 NHL games last season, a player scored more than three goals in a game only 15 times.

Right wing Brian Noonan scored on a wrap-around in the second period.

Young, who always has been a backup, played well after allowing the bad goal in the first period. He finished with 22 saves.

"I've been through 30 opening nights," Lightning coach Terry Crisp said. "This is a little extra special because it's a brand new franchise. But this is one more opening night, and everybody has an opening night. I try to be there for the last closing night."