Steven Stamkos of Markham, Ontario made Tampa Bay Lightning history on Tuesday night. According to Dave Randorf of Bally Sports, when Stamkos scored the game-winning goal for Tampa Bay on Tuesday from Viktor Hedman and Ondrej Palat on the power play, he became the Lightning’s all-time leader in game-winning goals with 65. The Lightning defeated the Vegas Golden Knights 4-3 in the final game before the National Hockey League’s coronavirus Christmas pause for the 2021-22 season.
Stamkos broke the Lightning record previously set by Canadian Olympic gold medalist Martin St. Louis of Montreal, Quebec, who had 64 game-winning goals with the Lightning from 2000 to 2014. St. Louis won a gold medal for Canada at the 2014 Olympic Winter Games in Sochi.
In news related to the NHL and the Olympic Winter Games, today is a dark day for hockey indeed. Due to the rise in cases of Omicron, it was announced formally on Wednesday, that the NHL players will not be going to the 2022 Olympic Winter Games in Beijing.
This season for the Lightning, Stamkos has 14 goals and 21 assists for 35 points. He is a +6 with eight penalty minutes, 10 power play points, three game-winning goals, 78 shots on goal, 216 faceoff wins, 13 blocked shots, 35 hits, 15 takeaways and seven giveaways.
The Lightning meanwhile currently have the most points in the NHL with 44. They have a record of 20 wins, six regulation losses, and four losses in extra time.