Thursday, 4 a.m.
He was a kid when his journey began, a 20-year-old playing in his third NHL game. That was 17 years ago.
He was a rookie then. Since then he has gone from star to contributor. But even now, Corey Perry knows the way to the back of the net.
Perry scored his 400th goal Wednesday night, deflecting in a shot by Mikhail Sergachev to help the Lightning skate to a 5-3 victory over Edmonton. Perry is the 103rd player in NHL history to score 400 goals.
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“He didn’t want to get it on a breakaway," Bolts' coach Jon Cooper said. "It's fitting the way Corey scores his goals going to the net.
"I didn't recognize (before the season) how good a scorer he is. He’s a slick ,sneaky, skilled player in the blue paint. He’s oozing with hockey sense around the net. He’s way better around the net than I thought. He knows what he’s doing out there."
Said Perry: "It’s exciting. It's a great personal accomplishment. I have to thank all the guys I’ve played with in the past. I never thought growing up I’d hit 400 goals in the NHL."
The Bolts, who had six days off before the game, made the most of their shots They scored five on only 23 shots and jumped to a 4-1 lead before the Oilers made a push.
It has been a career of adjustments for Perry, who scored 50 goals one year for Anaheim and 43 in another. He has 14 this year, whih is more htan any season since 2017-18.
Besides Perry, the Bolts' goals came from Pat Maroon, Steven Stamkos, Brayden Point and Nikita Kucherov (an empty-netter).
Tampa Bay has won five straight gamesagainst Edmonton. They've won nine straight in Tampa.
The Bolts will play against Nashville Saturday night in the NHL's Stadium Series. The puck is scheduled to drop at 7:30 p.m.