When Tampa Bay went out for its morning skate yesterday at Mellon Arena, winger Ryan Malone skated over to coach Rick Tocchet.

"He started singing 'Memories' to me," Tocchet said.

Tocchet was on the Penguins' second Stanley Cup championship team in 1992. Malone's ties to the team, building and city run deeper.

He grew up at the arena, the son of former Penguins player and current Lightning head scout Greg Malone. He was drafted by the Penguins in the fourth round in 1999. And he played four seasons here, helping the team advance to the Stanley Cup final last spring.

Malone got a cheer when he was announced as a starter for the game last night against the Penguins, but drew boos 1:11 into the first period when he drew a slashing penalty against Evgeni Malkin, who at the same time got a roughing penalty for a light sparring incident along the boards. Malone had given Malkin a playful poke during the warmup.

Returning in a different uniform -- plus a couple nights here beforehand, thanks to Tampa Bay's schedule -- brought mixed emotions for Malone.

For one thing, some bitterness.

"A little bit, I guess," Malone said. "I'd been here 28 years, walking around this place with a Penguins sweater on since I was a little kid. That's all I had really known."

Nearly seven months earlier, Malone had sat at his locker in full uniform for a long time overcome with emotion after the Penguins were eliminated by Detroit in Game 6 of the final. He already knew the Penguins had decided not to get into the sweepstakes when he became a free agent a few weeks later.

"I think it was just the money," said Malone, who signed a seven-year, $31.5 million contract with the Lightning. "I don't think anything else was a problem."

The game also marked the return of winger Mark Recchi, who has been with the Penguins three times and makes his home here, and winger Adam Hall, who spent last season here, but winger Gary Roberts, who spent the past two seasons with the Penguins, is on injured reserve with a groin problem.

Malone, who has had a couple injuries this season and had seven goals, 13 points in 23 games before last night, finds himself with a club that went through a huge overhaul over the summer. The Lighting went into the game tied for last place in the Eastern Conference and earlier this season promoted Tocchet after firing Barry Melrose.

That doesn't make Malone regret his decision to sign with Tampa Bay.

"You miss hanging out with the guys, but you have to move on," he said. "It was a great honor to play here, a privilege. I cherish the times I had here."

Ryan Whitney made his season debut after offseason foot surgery, but Penguins coach Michel Therrien didn't have to think hard about which defenseman to scratch to make room for Whitney.

Kris Letang missed his first game of the season because of what is believed to be a right foot or leg injury from blocking a shot Monday during a 4-3 win at Buffalo. Therrien described Letang as day to day.

Tocchet played on the right side on a Penguins line in the 1990s that included center Mario Lemieux and left winger Kevin Stevens.

"I tell a story that one game I never got out of our end to center ice and I had four assists," Tocchet said. "I just chipped it to Mario and the next thing I knew I had four assists. That's how good it was playing with Mario Lemieux."