No. 1 Pick to Lightning; Mighty Ducks Are No. 5

The Tampa Bay Lightning, who finished last during the regular season, will get the first pick in the NHL entry draft.

The Lightning on Sunday received the right to select first as the result of two earlier trades involving San Jose and Florida. The Panthers actually won the lottery but had previously dealt their first-round pick.

The Sharks will pick second in the June 27 draft at Buffalo, N.Y., with the expansion Nashville Predators going third.

Vancouver will draft fourth, followed by the Mighty Ducks, Calgary, the New York Rangers, Toronto, New York Islanders, Chicago and Carolina.

“The 1998 draft crop is very deep,” Mighty Ducks General Manager Jack Ferreira said. “This group looks to have many future NHL players. . . . We should get a solid, talented player with the fifth overall pick.”

The lottery affects only the 10 teams that missed the playoffs, plus the newest expansion entry. Tampa Bay will get first crack at center Vincent Lecavalier, rated No. 1 among draft-eligible prospects.

*

The United States lost to Italy, 4-0, at Zurich, Switzerland, leaving the Americans on the verge of relegation from the elite A Pool at the World Hockey Championships.

The United States must beat Latvia by a large margin today to avoid a special B Pool relegation tournament in November.

*

The Chicago Blackhawks, who last month fired Coach Craig Hartsburg, have asked for permission to interview Mighty Duck assistant Don Hay. Hay coached the Phoenix Coyotes to a 38-37-7 record in 1996-97, but was fired by after one season.