Sure, it would have been more fitting if it came on a faceoff circle blast set up by Martin St. Louis, but Steven Stamkos’ 200th goal still means quite a bit.
The 23-year-old hit that plateau with an empty-netter to ice the Tampa Bay Lightning’s 4-2 win against the Philadelphia Flyers on Monday.
The accomplishment makes sense since Stamkos has been a constant for a team that’s struggled significantly the past two seasons; in this case, it provided a silver lining amid worries about Victor Hedman and Ryan Malone’s injuries.
Here are a few fun facts regarding Stamkos’ goal-scoring prowess:
- The Lightning point out that only three players have reached 200 at a younger age: Wayne Gretzky (21 years, 256 days), Mario Lemieux (22 years, 148 days) and Dale Hawerchuk (22 years, 266 days). Stamkos is 41 days into his 23rd year, by the way.
- Stamkos reached that mark in just 354 games, which means he averages more than a goal every other game.
- Speaking of that 354-game mark, ESPN’s John Buccigross reports that only two active players required fewer games to hit 200: Alex Ovechkin (296 games) and Teemu Selanne (322).
Not bad.
Here are highlights from the game.