Malone scores 2 PP goals in 3rd period; Lightning beat Islanders for 2nd straight road win

Malone’s 2 PP goals in 3rd lift Lightning

UNIONDALE, N.Y. — Ryan Malone scored two power-play goals in the third period, and the Tampa Bay Lightning shook off a pair of one-goal deficits to beat the New York Islanders 4-2 on Monday night.

It was the second straight victory for the Lightning, both coming on the road where Tampa Bay had been on an 0-5-2 skid before winning at St. Louis on Friday. The Lightning wrapped up a six-game trip with a respectable 2-3-1 mark.

Steven Stamkos and Vincent Lecavalier added second-period goals when the Lightning rallied twice to tie it. Stamkos, the No. 1 pick in the 2008 draft, has 21 goals this season. He scored for the fourth time in four games after going eight games without one. Mike Smith made 36 saves for his sixth win.

The Lightning, 15 points behind Southeast Division-leading Washington, won for just the third time in 13 games (3-8-2) and sent New York to its third consecutive loss — all at home. The Islanders have dropped nine of 13 overall.

Trent Hunter gave the Islanders a 1-0 lead in the first period, scoring the team’s first power-play goal in 20 chances, and Nate Thompson made it 2-1 in the second when he broke a 61-game drought. Dwayne Roloson was sharp throughout in making 24 saves.

He was the early star when he dived back into the net after the puck took a wild bounce off the boards behind him and came out in front. Roloson lunged to block Steve Downie’s attempt at a wide-open net and then used his left skate to deny Todd Fedoruk’s try on the rebound.

The puck remained on the line as the Lightning celebrated what they thought was a goal. But play continued, and a lengthy video replay confirmed that the puck didn’t cross the line.

Roloson wasn’t as fortunate 2:48 into the third when Malone got to a rebound of Stamkos’ shot in the slot and fired in a shot to make it 3-2. Malone struck again with 8:21 left. Finishing off a three-way passing play with Martin St. Louis and Lecavalier, Malone knocked in his 18th goal.

Lecavalier got the Lightning even for the second time in the middle period, with a picture-perfect shot that Roloson likely never saw. Alex Tanguay fed a pass from the left corner into the circle to Lecavalier, who went down to a knee and snapped off a shot in an instant that zipped into the top right corner with 18.6 seconds left.

The Islanders broke their power-play woes with 3:13 left in the first when Josh Bailey sent a crisp pass from behind the net in front to Hunter for a one-timed goal.

Thompson, who became the subject of a blooper moment when he shot wide of an empty net last week after New York Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist fell, looked every bit like a polished goal scorer when he ripped a shot from the left circle past Smith with 3:35 left in the second.

Stamkos had made it 1-1 at 6:20.

NOTES: It was Smith’s first victory since he beat the Islanders at home on Dec. 5. … Thompson’s previous goal was scored on Nov. 28, 2008, at Boston. … New York went four full games since its last power-play goal vs. Boston on Dec. 12. The Islanders finished 1 for 6 with the advantage. … The Lightning, with 71 points, and the Islanders, with 66, have the fewest points in the NHL since Jan. 1.