COLUMBUS, Ohio - The players have a lot to adjust to in the new NHL: shootouts, rules changes and lots and lots of penalties.

Jaroslav Balastik's shootout goal gave the Columbus Blue Jackets a 3-2 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins Monday night.

"Shootouts are fun when you win," said Columbus goaltender Pascal Leclaire, who stopped all 14 shots he faced after taking over for Marc Denis. "I did a lot of them last year. I think our team at Syracuse had the most in the whole (American Hockey League). You have to get used to it. Obviously, the fans loved it and it's really fun for everybody."

The game was sloppy for both clubs, with the flow constantly disrupted by penalties. The Blue Jackets were just 1-for-16 on power-play chances - failing to convert the last 12. The Penguins, playing without Mario Lemieux and No. 1 draft pick Sidney Crosby, were 1-for-10 with the man advantage.

Nikolai Zherdev scored against Marc-Andre Fleury in the shootout, with Pittsburgh's Konstantin Koltsov beating Leclaire low on the stick side to tie it.

Balastik, the final player in the three-man rotation, swerved far to the right before swooping in on Fleury and beating him high on the stick side for the winner.

Balastik, Columbus' ninth pick in the 2002 draft, led the Czech Elite League in goals each of the last two years.

The Penguins took a 1-0 lead just 3:02 in when Ryan Malone redirected Ric Jackman's shot from the point on the power play. Michel Ouellet then made it 2-0, making a nifty deke on Denis.

The Blue Jackets, who lost their exhibition opener 3-2 to Buffalo on Sunday night, tied it on Manny Malhotra's power-play goal and Marchant's 2-on-1 score off a setup pass from Brandon Sugden.

The Penguins, playing their first exhibition game, had a prime chance to win in the 5-minute overtime. On the power play, former Blue Jacket Lasse Pirjeta's hard shot from the right dot was deflected by Leclaire with 30 seconds remaining.

"Tonight I was extremely happy with our penalty killing," Penguins coach Eddie Olczyk said. "I thought Marc-Andre played extremely well. I liked the way our power play started but I didn't like the way it finished."