![]() The Lightning (29-13-1) also beat the Canucks 5-4 in Tampa last week. SPORTS NEWSLETTER: Sign up now to get Sports headlines delivered daily He was replaced by Collin Delia, who made 14 saves.ĬONNOR BEDARD WATCH: Slumping Canucks say 'major surgery' needed on roster “That’s a game that you’re gonna remember for forever, so to do that and have that story to tell for years to come was pretty special,” Stamkos said.Īndrei Kuzmenko and Quinn Hughes each scored a power-play goal in the third period for Vancouver (18-23-3).Ĭanucks goaltender Spencer Martin allowed four goals on 10 shots before being pulled just past the midway mark of the first period. Alex Killorn had two assists and Brian Elliott stopped 37 shots. VANCOUVER, British Columbia – Steven Stamkos scored his 500th NHL goal and then added two more for a hat trick, leading the Tampa Bay Lightning to a 5-2 victory against the Vancouver Canucks on Wednesday night.īrayden Point and Nikita Kucherov each had a goal and an assist in Tampa Bay’s fifth consecutive win. You just need to get it done.View Gallery: NHL: Best photo from each day of the 2022-23 season And that’s what makes this team so special and tight and unique," Stamkos added. "There was a quiet confidence with this group like there usually is in tight moments like that," the captain said. "He’ll be the first one to push the accolades to everybody else, but he had a hell of a series." "But in an elimination game, to not only score the first goal, but to answer back 21 seconds after they scored, you’re so proud," Cooper added. And it has in so many different ways," Cooper said. So, at some point you want the light to shine on him. "Our first Cup run, he misses basically the whole thing. Scoring twice to eliminate the Rangers - with the winner delivered a mere 21 seconds after New York tied the game with a power-play goal scored with Stamkos in the penalty box for holding - thrust him into the spotlight.Ĭooper, who has the Lightning in the Cup Final for the fourth time, couldn’t be happier for him. The captain’s next appearance came after the team’s title-clinching win in Game 6, with Stamkos slipping into his uniform and returning to the ice for the trophy presentation and celebration. He appeared in just one game, logging 2:42 of ice time - yet still scored a goal - in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final against Dallas. Missing all but one game of Tampa Bay’s 2020 championship run was one of the toughest stretches of Stamkos’ career. "He’s got to score, he’s got to lead, he’s got to be the face of the franchise," Cooper added. ![]() "Watching Stammer’s growth - going from the 60-goal scorer and the young guy to the leader, the captain and the guy that people are rallying around - he’s got a lot of weight on the shoulders," coach Jon Cooper said. The Lightning are trying to become the first team to three-peat since the New York Islanders won four straight titles from 1980-83. Louis to become the franchise’s career points leader with 972 in 14 seasons. He’s the Lightning’s career goals leader with 481 and earlier this season moved ahead of Hall of Famer Martin St. Through it all, Stamkos keeps playing - and producing. There have been plenty of times in the subsequent two seasons that his contributions have been overshadowed by the play of some of the team’s younger stars. Stamkos has carried his share of the load, too, although he missed nearly all of the team’s championship run two years ago because of an injury. Nikita Kucherov, Victor Hedman, Andrei Vasilevskiy, Brayden Point, Ondrej Palat, Alex Killorn and Pat Maroon have all played key roles in Tampa Bay winning back-to-back titles and becoming the first team to make three straight appearances in the Stanley Cup Final since the Edmonton Oilers from 1983-85. That’s why we have been so successful because the guys in that room are truly like that." "We know in the room that everyone plays a huge part in our group success. And (the media) can discuss if it’s a big part or if it’s a little part," the Lightning captain added. "That’s the way the guys are on our team. 1 overall pick from the 2008 NHL draft said. But if I didn’t score and we won I would have been just as happy," the No. It’s great to score a couple goals in a huge game. PREVIOUS: ‘Called to be the thunder’: Tampa Bay Lightning beat Rangers, head to Stanley Cup Final 3rd time in a row Stamkos has scored a team-leading nine goals in 17 games this postseason, including a pair in Tampa Bay’s 2-1 series-clinching victory over the Rangers in the Eastern Conference final.
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