Islanders 4, Lightning 2
Matt Martin scored the go-ahead goal with 6:26 remaining in the third period and New York held off visiting Tampa Bay to earn points for the seventh time in eight games (6-1-1).
Martin beat a screened Ben Bishop from just above the left faceoff circle for his third goal and defenseman Andrew MacDonald sealed it with an empty-netter with 14 seconds to go. Josh Bailey had a goal and an assist, Michael Grabner also scored and Evgeni Nabokov made 19 saves for the Islanders, who remained in eighth place after the Rangers skated to a 4-1 triumph over Carolina on Saturday.
Rookie Richard Panik and defenseman Matt Carle scored for Tampa Bay, which had its four-game point streak (3-0-1) snapped. Bishop turned aside 24 shots in his second start since behind acquired from Ottawa on Wednesday.
Grabner capitalized on a turnover and moved in to hammer a shot that beat Bishop high to the glove side with 5:15 remaining in the first period for a 1-0 lead. Captain Vincent Lecavalier’s backhand pass fooled Nabokov and Panik whipped a shot into the open left side at 4:44 of the second to tie it.
Kyle Okposo eluded the Lightning defense in the right faceoff circle and centered to Bailey, who scored from in close 3:38 later to give the Islanders a 2-1 advantage after two periods. Carle looped in front and flipped the rebound of Steven Stamkos' shot past Nabokov four minutes into the third to again knot the contest.
GAME NOTEBOOK: New York’s second-leading scorer Matt Moulson was scratched because of the flu, ending his streak of 284 consecutive games. He had not missed a contest in an Islanders uniform. … Lightning D Victor Hedman also was scratched with a lower-body injury, which he suffered Thursday at Carolina. … Martin had eight hits and MacDonald recorded seven blocks.