Martin Hits And Scores In Win Over Lightning

From Elias: Islanders forward Matt Martin was the NHL leader in hits last season and he leads the league in that category again this season, so it's not surprising that he racked up twice as many hits (eight) as any other player on either team in the Isles' game against the Lightning. But Martin is hardly a prolific goal scorer, as a career total of 14 goals in 191 NHL games entering play on Saturday would indicate. So Martin scoring the game-winning goal in the Islanders' 4-2 victory over Tampa Bay was certainly unexpected. Over the last two seasons, the only other NHL player to score the winning goal in a game in which he was credited with at least eight hits was Blackhawks defenseman Brent Seabrook on March 1 this year against Columbus.