Tampa Bay goalie Nikolai Khabibulin wards off New York.
UNIONDALE, N.Y. – The secret to success in the Tampa Bay-New York playoff series is simple: Score, then turn matters over to the goaltender.

That goalie Monday night was Nikolai Khabibulin, whose 28 saves led the Lightning past the Islanders 3-0 for a 2-1 lead in the opening-round matchup. Brad Richards and Martin St. Louis scored early and Khabibulin stoned the Islanders the rest of the way.

St. Louis added an empty-net goal with 10 seconds remaining.

All three games have ended 3-0, and for Game 4 here Wednesday night, both teams must be thinking that allowing even one goal can doom them.

Khabibulin got his third career shutout by making the first save and controlling the puck. His teammates helped by quickly breaking out of the defensive zone most of the night.

Richards put the Lightning in front on a power play 3:40 into the game. He was stationed in the slot when Dan Boyle passed from the right point, and Richards deflected the puck off Islanders goalie Rick DiPietro and it trickled into the net.

Less than three minutes later, it was 2-0. St. Louis, the NHL’s leading scorer this season with 94 points, got his first point of the series with a wrist shot from 15 feet. He was set up by some excellent work along the boards from linemates Richards and Fredrik Modin.

Khabibulin kept it 2-0 with several superb first-period saves. His best came when he robbed Mark Parrish from close range on an Islanders power play, and he also handled a deft deflection by Dave Scatchard during a New York flurry.

Richards, who had a goal and two assists, also put a wraparound attempt off the goal post while Tampa Bay was short-handed.
Stars 4, Avalanche 3
DALLAS – Steve Ott turned a steal at center ice into a breakaway goal 2:11 into overtime, sending the Dallas Stars past the Colorado Avalanche 4-3 Monday night and getting them back into this first-round playoff series.

Thoroughly outplayed through two games and two periods, the Stars began their recovery when Philippe Boucher sent a long, wide shot past Colorado goaltender David Aebischer with 4:27 left in regulation.

The winning play began when Ott blocked a neutral-zone pass from Avalanche defenseman Adam Foote. The second-year center then took off with the puck as soon as he saw it heading toward the Colorado zone.

Foote couldn’t catch up to Ott. Neither could Karlis Skrastins, who dived just as Ott sent the puck through a narrow gap between Aebischer and the post.
Devils 4, Flyers 2
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – The New Jersey Devils won’t give up the Stanley Cup without a fight.

After dropping the opening two games in Philadelphia, the Devils got back into their first-round series with the Flyers on Monday night. Patrik Elias scored twice and Scott Gomez had three assists in a 4-2 victory.

Rookie Paul Martin and Brian Gionta also scored, and Martin Brodeur made 23 saves as New Jersey cut the Flyers’ lead in the best-of-7 series to 2-1. Game 4 also will be played at the Continental Airlines Arena on Wednesday night.

Jeremy Roenick and Tony Amonte scored for the Flyers, who twice blew one-goal leads.

The Devils, 0-for-7 on the power play in losing two 3-2 decisions in Philadelphia, scored three times on five extra-man chances to get back into the series.
Maple Leafs 2, Senators 0
OTTAWA – Ed Belfour has backstopped the Toronto Maple Leafs back to home-ice advantage.

Belfour made 35 saves and recorded his second straight shutout, leading the Toronto Maple Leafs to a 2-0 victory Monday night over the Ottawa Senators.

Joe Nieuwendyk scored his second goal of the playoffs early in the second period, and Mats Sundin added a goal on a two-on-one rush in the third for Toronto, which now holds a 2-1 lead in the first-round playoff series. Game 4 is here Wednesday.

Belfour has held Ottawa scoreless for 138:21. He made 31 saves for his first Toronto playoff shutout in Saturday’s 2-0 win to give the Maple Leafs a split of the first two home games of the series.

Belfour, who turns 39 April 21, got his 84th career playoff win to keep pace with New Jersey’s Martin Brodeur for the lead among active goalies.

It was his 13th career playoff shutout, moving him past Dominik Hasek into second place among active goalies behind Brodeur.
Blues 4, Sharks 1
ST. LOUIS – The St. Louis Blues kept their cool and finally got to Evgeni Nabokov, working their way back into their first-round playoff series.

Late-season pickup Mike Sillinger scored his first career playoff hat trick and Dallas Drake scored on a deflection and added an assist in a 4-1 victory over the San Jose Sharks on Monday night.

The Sharks lead the series 2-1, heading into Game 4 Tuesday night in St. Louis.

Sillinger, acquired March 4 from the Coyotes and playing for his 10th NHL team to tie an NHL record, seemed to be a low-key pickup at the time. But he provided an immediate boost for a team that qualified for the playoffs on the 81st game, getting four goals and five assists in 16 games.

Nabokov set a franchise record with nine regular-season shutouts and nearly had two in the first two games of the series, stopping 52 of 53 shots in 1-0 and 3-1 victories. His dominant run ended in the second period when Dallas Drake blocked a shot from the point by Tom Preissing just as Sillinger’s penalty for elbowing was expiring.

Drake deflected the puck to a streaking Sillinger, who outraced Preissing to the net and beat Nabokov with a shot.

between the pads to give the Blues their first lead in the series.

Drake made it 2-0 at 17:24 when he deflected an innocent-looking wrist shot from the point by Eric Weinrich past Nabokov. Jonathan Cheechoo scored his first career playoff goal for the Sharks early in the third to slice the gap to one, reawakening the Blues.

A little over two minutes later, at 7:51 of the third, Sillinger again broke loose off a backhand feed from Keith Tkachuk to make it 3-1. Then he wrapped it up with an unassisted empty-net goal, scoring from deep in the Blues’ zone, with 46.9 seconds to go.

The Blues’ defense, anchored by goalie Chris Osgood, did the rest. Osgood was pulled early in the third period of Game 2, ostensibly to shake up the team, but also had appeared to have injured his right knee earlier in that game.

He showed no signs of a physical problem in Game 3, making 17 saves and benefiting from a defense that allowed few rebounds.

Notes: Sillinger and J.J. Daigneault are the only players to play for 10 teams. Daigneault also had a stint with the Blues. … The Blues’ pre-game video, featuring Roy Schneider shooting the shark in the movie “Jaws,” drew a huge cheer. … Blues forward Ryan Johnson was injured when he was sent flying by an Alexander Korolyuk check midway through the first period and did not return. … Marleau was held to two shots after his Game 2 hat trick. … The Sharks had won four in a row overall against the Blues.

AP-ES-04-12-04 2352EDT