The Tampa Bay Lightning continued their post-trade deadline roll by defeating the New York Islanders 4-1. While the team as a whole is on a tear, the win is also highlighted by multiple individual milestones.
Some are simply career highs, while others involve all-time rankings.
Stamkos Notches 30 Goals for 9th Time, Passes the Rocket
The longtime captain of the Lightning, Steven Stamkos, achieved two milestones with a single goal. When he redirected a shot into the net early in the third period to make it 3-1 Lightning, he reached the 30-goal mark for the ninth time in his career. It took a second try, but he got it. Second try? On Wednesday night, his first 30th goal of the season was overturned due to an offsides call in the win over the Boston Bruins. This goal was under review, too, but the call went in his favor this time.
It’s a testament to Stamkos’ future-hall-of-fame career that he’s reached some of these milestones given the luck he’s had, or lack thereof, in his career. He’s had three injury-shortened seasons and has finished with 29 goals in officially shortened seasons twice (the 2012-13 lockout-shortened season and the 2019-20 season disrupted by the COVID-19 Pandemic).
Along with the 30-goal milestone, Stamkos passed Maurice Richard on the all-time goals list. With 545 career goals, Stamkos is now in sole possession of 32nd all-time. Look, there are 31 guys ahead of him, which is already not a significant number. But scoring more goals than The Rocket is no small feat. To clarify, he took 94 more games than Richard. But 94 more games is quicker than some guys ahead of Stamkos in goals.
Hagel Sets New Single-Season Points Total
When Brandon Hagel assisted Anthony Cirelli’s goal to take a 2-1 lead in the first period, he scored his 65th point of the season, surpassing the single-season high he set last season. Hagel added to his total when he assisted the aforementioned Stamkos goal to reach 66 points.
At Hagel’s current pace, if he plays 81 games like he did last season, he’ll finish with 73 points. He likely won’t reach 30 goals for the second season in a row—he’s at 23 with nine games to go. But Hagel has improved his overall game this season, and his new-season points total reflects this.
Kucherov Climbs the Russian Hockey Ranks
It’s not original to talk about how good Nikita Kucherov has been this season or at any point. He’s been competing for Art Ross and Hart Trophies all season – hardware he has taken home before. Still, he found a way to reach a new milestone in the win Saturday night.
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His assist on Darren Raddysh’s goal gave him career point number 854. This gave him sole possession of eighth all-time for points among Russian-born players, passing Vyacheslav “Slava” Kozlov. Kucherov picked up another assist on Cirelli’s empty netter, finishing the night at 855 points.
He is 21 points behind Ilya Kovalchuk (876) for seventh. Would anyone be shocked if he reached that mark in the next nine games? The answer is yes; everyone would be shocked. Don’t lie. This milestone is reserved for next season. But he’ll leapfrog both Kovalchuk and Pavel Datsyuk (918) next season, assuming he stays healthy.
Kucherov has been unreal this season, and this milestone shows how it’s an extension of his already phenomenal career and what’s in store for him to achieve.
The Lightning return to action on Monday when they host the Detroit Red Wings. That’s April 1, so make sure any Lightning updates you see aren’t April Fools jokes.
