UNIONDALE, N.Y. (AP) – Martin St. Louis’ short-handed breakaway goal with 4:57 left spoiled a brilliant goaltending performance by New York backup Garth Snow and gave the Tampa Bay Lightning a 2-1 victory over the sliding Islanders on Monday night.

With Tampa Bay’s Nolan Pratt in the penalty box, St. Louis took a long pass from Paul Ranger at the Islanders blue line and turned into the zone. His shot eluded the glove of Snow, who made 41 saves.

Snow got the rare start because Rick DiPietro, a U.S. Olympic goalie, is nursing a left knee injury. Snow was outdueled by Sean Burke, who stopped 35 shots in his second straight start over slumping regular John Grahame – another U.S. Olympian.

New York has lost five straight and six of seven. Tampa Bay won for just the second time in eight games.

Vincent Lecavalier gave the Lightning a 1-0 lead with a penalty-shot goal in the first period. Islanders rookie Jeff Hamilton tied it in the second.

Before that, it looked as though the Islanders might never get a puck past Burke. Hamilton, recalled earlier Monday from Bridgeport of the AHL after a one-game banishment, netted his second NHL goal with 1:09 left in the second period.

Earlier in the period, the Islanders showed a new level of offensive futility. They had the puck in the Lightning zone during a power play, and caught two Tampa Bay players without sticks. A shot struck Burke, and every Lightning player dived onto the puck in front to make sure it couldn’t get through.

Snow was the sole reason the Islanders were tied heading into the third period. He endured multiple short-handed situations and countless odd-man rushes – including several breakaways. He turned them all aside, even Lecavalier’s 1-on-1 rush that led to the penalty shot.

New York took five penalties in the first period and were short-handed for 7:26. Snow flopped on his back to deny Vaclav Prospal in the opening minute, stopped Lecavalier on a stuff attempt off a 2-on-1 break, and kicked out another drive by Prospal.

Lecavalier finally figured Snow out by beating him with a move that didn’t work just seconds earlier. On the penalty shot, Lecavalier drifted left on his forehand before cutting to the right and lifting a backhander over Snow’s glove and under the crossbar with 6:42 left in the opening period.

Lecavalier’s 16th goal of the season was his first in four career penalty shots.

Tampa Bay carried a 1-0 lead into the second period after tying a season high with 19 shots. The Lightning posted 17 more in the middle frame.

Snow even had to slide to stop a near own-goal by Alexei Zhitnik with just under 8 minutes left in the third.

Burke also flashed periods of brilliance. He denied a breakaway by Miroslav Satan in the second period and used his stick to stop three in-close whacks late in the third.

Notes: Ruslan Fedotenko failed in Tampa Bay’s only other penalty shot this season, Oct. 20 at Atlanta. … The Islanders were shut out by the Lightning in both home playoff games in 2004. Tampa Bay won the first-round series in five games en route to the championship. … Wade Dubielewicz was recalled from Bridgeport to serve as Snow’s backup for the third time this season. … The Lightning had a 19-shot third period on Nov. 3 at Ottawa. … New York killed off all eight short-handed situations, snapping an 11-game streak of allowing power-play goals.

AP-ES-01-02-06 2143EST