ST. LOUIS (AP) — Evgeny Grachev scored two goals and the St. Louis Blues defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning 3-1 in the preseason opener for both teams.
Matt D’Agostini also scored for St. Louis, and Brian Elliott made 21 saves in his Blues debut after signing as a free agent on July 1. Jamie Langenbrunner and David Backes each had two assists.
Steve Downie had a power-play goal for the Lightning, and Mathieu Garon and Jaroslav Janus split the game in goal for Tampa Bay.
D’Agostini snapped a shot past Janus with 3:07 remaining in the second, giving the Blues a 2-1 lead.
Grachev put the Blues on top with a power-play goal, knocking in a rebound of a Jamie Langenbrunner shot at 15:16 of the first period. Grachev also had an empty-netter.
