NHL scoring champ Martin St. Louis scores the winning goal for Tampa Bay.
TAMPA, Fla. – Martin St. Louis sent the Tampa Bay Lightning into the second round of the playoffs with a flick of the wrist.

The NHL scoring champion scored from the left circle 4:07 into overtime Friday night, giving the Lightning a 3-2 victory that eliminated the New York Islanders in the opening round for the third year in a row.

Despite being outplayed for much of three games on its home ice, the Lightning – the top-seeded team in the Eastern Conference, took the best-of-seven series in five games.

Tampa Bay is in the second round for the second straight year and the second time in team history.

Nikolai Khabibulin failed in his bid for an NHL-record fourth shutout in the series, but finished with 24 saves – two in overtime before St. Louis ended it by lifting the Lightning’s only shot of the extra period over the glove of New York goalie Rick DiPietro.

That won the only game of the series that wasn’t decided by a 3-0 score.

Oleg Kvasha scored on a power-play for New York midway through the first period, ending a drought against Khabibulin, who hadn’t given up a goal to the Islanders since early in the third period of Game 2.

Tim Taylor and Ruslan Fedotenko scored late in the second period to give Tampa Bay a 2-1 lead that looked like it might hold up. But New York’s Mark Parrish answered with his first goal of the series with 12:32 left in regulation.

Khabibulin tied a league record with his third shutout of the series Wednesday night and stopped 113 of 115 shots in the first four games.

No goaltender has ever had four shutouts in a series and it took a video replay to confirm Khabibulin lost his bid on Kvasha’s power-play goal with 9:19 remaining in the second period.
Maple Leafs 2, Senators 0
TORONTO – Ed Belfour stopped all 21 Ottawa shots and he and the Toronto Maple Leafs shut out the Senators for the third time in the playoff series, winning 2-0 Friday night.

Tie Domi and Joe Nieuwendyk scored third-period goals for the Maple Leafs.

The Maple Leafs, who won despite missing captain Mats Sundin because of a left leg injury, have eliminated the Senators from the playoffs three times in four years.

The Senators outshot the Maple Leafs for the fifth straight game, but couldn’t get the puck past Belfour. He recorded his 14th career playoff shutout despite not having to make any spectacular saves.

Belfour rebounded after allowing four goals in a Game 4 loss and tied Tampa Bay’s Nikolai Khabibulin for the most shutouts in this year’s first round. Fans chanted “Ed-die, Ed-die!” in the final seconds. Domi, Toronto’s enforcer, scored after his rebound deflected in off the skates of Ottawa forward Bryan Smolinski at 1:43 of the third.

Nieuwendyk, who missed Game 4 due to a sore back, gave Toronto a 2-0 lead at 15:18 after Ottawa defenseman Zdeno Chara missed a chance to tie it. After Chara fanned on a one-timer in front of Toronto’s net, Tomas Kaberle skated up ice on a two-on-one before passing to Nieuwendyk, who scored his third goal of the series.

Ottawa dominated the first period – outshooting Toronto 7-2.

The Maple Leafs almost scored midway though the second when a streaking Gary Roberts passed the puck toward the front of the net, but Ron Francis couldn’t get a stick on it.

Ottawa’s Marian Hossa skated in on a partial breakaway a few minutes later, but defenseman Ken Klee caught up to him and slapped the puck away just as Klee was about to shoot.

Senators forward Vaclav Varada skated in on a breakaway in the third, after going around defenseman Bryan McCabe, but he lost the puck before he could get off a shot.

Notes: Ottawa has outshot Toronto 155-100 in the series. … Sundin was injured in the third period of Ottawa’s 4-1 win on Wednesday. He didn’t return to the game and hasn’t skated since. Sundin is third on the Maple Leafs’ career playoff points list with 65. In 78 postseason contests, Sundin has 32 goals and 38 assists. … Ottawa C Radek Bonk limped off the ice after being hit in the leg by a slap shot in the second period.

AP-ES-04-16-04 2145EDT