TAMPA, Fla. — Steven Stamkos knows he's not in Sidney Crosby's class, at least not yet.

And while Victor Hedman is as good as advertised, he's got a long way to go to be on the level

of Evgeni Malkin. But the Pittsburgh Penguins' blueprint is one the Tampa Bay Lightning would

like to follow.

The Penguins, defending Stanley Cup champions, built their foundation at the top of the

draft. Crosby went first overall in 2005, while Malkin was the second overall selection the

year before. The Lightning has been in the top two the last two drafts, picking Stamkos first

overall in 2008 and Hedman second back in June.

"You don't want to compare yourself to the Pittsburgh Penguins. They've got some world-

class players," Stamkos said Saturday before hosting the Buffalo Sabres. "But when you're

struggling, the advantage is you get some early picks in the first round, and you can build

off that.

"Obviously, I'd rather have the success than the high picks, but there's been some tough

times here in Tampa the past couple of years. We've been fortunate enough to get some young

guys coming in, and hopefully we can build off that and ultimately win a championship like

Pittsburgh did."

It would be tough to miss on the top two picks of a draft, and it's looking like the

Lightning made the right choices. Stamkos, a 19-year-old center, entered Saturday's game in

St. Pete Times Forum second on the Lightning with six goals and 10 points. He found the score

sheet in seven of the team's first eight games.

"At the end of last season, I think you saw the confidence that he knew he could play,"

Lightning forward Ryan Malone said. "Early on, for whatever reason, he was doubting himself.

Now he knows he can play in this league and be an impact player each night."

The same is true of Hedman. The 6-foot-6, 230-pound defenseman is only 18 but is in his

third season of playing with men. He spent the previous two seasons in the Swedish Elite

League. Hedman had four assists in the first eight games of his NHLcareer.

"He's going to be a great player in this league for a long time, and he's already starting

to show it," Stamkos said.

Hedman is viewed as the needed ingredient to Tampa becoming a playoff team. In addition to

Stamkos and Malone, who had seven goals in the first eight games, the Lightning has All-Star

forwards Vincent Lecavalier and Martin St. Louis. But the blue line was one of the team's

major problems last season, and Hedman has given them the back-end cornerstone necessary to

contend.

"We were very fortunate to pick up Heddy second overall," Malone said. "It's exactly what

we needed back there. Management did a good job of adding some extra pieces back there to help

out. The offseason made a big difference in the team we had now and the team we're going to be

in the future. We're taking steps in the right direction to be that playoff team."

. . .

The Sabres were without Toni Lydman for the fourth time this season. The defenseman

suffered a groin strain late in Wednesday's 5-2 victory over Florida and skipped practice

Friday. He took part in Saturday's morning skate but left early after feeling soreness. Lydman

missed the first three games of the year with a hand injury.

Nathan Paetsch took Lydman's spot on the blue line alongside Steve Montador. It was

Paetsch's first appearance.

Defenseman Andrej Sekera missed his fifth game with a rib injury. The blue-liner, still in

the week-to-week category, skated in a noncontact role during practices this week.

"He's skating good, he just can't take contact yet," coach Lindy Ruff said. "I don't [know]

what exactly that time frame will be."

. . .

Saturday's meeting featured the second game between the Miller brothers, as Sabres

goaltender Ryan Miller faced Lightning forward Drew Miller. ... Dudley Hart, the PGA Tour pro

and Western New Yorker, accompanied the Sabres on their six-day Florida trip. Hart and Ruff

are longtime friends.