There is no age limit to becoming a freshman in the world of sports, and Tampa Bay Lightning captain Steven Stamkos proved that on Thursday by turning in one of his greatest performances of his career.
The forward scored four goals in a National Hockey League (NHL) game, something he had not achieved in his previous 1,030 games. In the 7-4 win against the Edmonton Oilers, he scored three times in the final period. The Pivot hadn't scored since November 30th, but that didn't stop him from stealing the show from Connor McDavid and company.
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Stamkos broke the stalemate in the seventh minute of the third period, then increased the deficit with 5:58 left and deposited the puck in an abandoned cage at the end of the game. The No. 91 player scored a hat trick during a period for the second time in the Bettman Round. He achieved the feat on November 4, 2011.
“After the fourth one he looked at me and said it was the first time. I replied: They reached 500 in total [529 exactement] of them and now you collect four in one match? We had a funny conversation on the bench. But yes, you need your key elements when the game is tight. Stammer and Vasy did that here,” Lightning head coach Jon Cooper told NHL.com, referring to goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy’s 53 saves.
After taking seven shots during the match, Stamkos is like fine wine and shows why he has consistently excelled in the league.
“He took a shot from the blue line and it counted because the opposing goalkeeper's view was a little restricted. No matter where he runs, he has a chance to score. I still think he needs to shoot more. If he does it ten times in a game, he will score two goals. He relies on a very precise shot and remains a threat in attack. And he played in the NHL for about fifteen years and was one of the leaders of that club,” said defenseman Mikhail Sergachev.
Modesty
For his part, the captain preferred to give Vasilevskiy all the credit for the victory, praising his achievements. It has to be said that the Bolts will need all of their impact hockey players to stay front and center in the Eastern Association playoff race.
“Without him there would have been no game. […] “It's certainly not a habit we want to develop every night, but in a matchup where we weren't at our best against a good team with an eight-game winning streak, counting on him was huge,” Stamkos emphasized , 36th all-time goals scored. He did that even in the biggest moments. We’re hardly surprised, but we should be because of what he did in front of the talented guys on the other side.”
Tampa Bay will visit the Calgary Flames on Saturday.