Thursday, 4 a.m.
Pebble by pebble, he has built a mountain. Goal by goal, he has constructed a legacy.
After 14 years -- already? -- Steven Stamkos has become a star.
He is 31 now, on the other side of devastating injuries, but Stamkos is still plugging away. He played in his 900th game in the NHL on Wednesday night, piling up three assists in a 4-1 victory over Seattle. In his career, Stamkos has 466 goals and 466 assists.
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“I think the last two games were definitely a step in the right direction," Stamkos said. "It was a lottle helter-skelter for those three games. There is no panic on this team, but it was definitely a wakeup call. "
For the Lightning, it was a good way to finish a six-game road trip. Those six games included the ugliest three games of the Lightning's season -- a three-game losing streak with 15 goals allowed. But as April approaches, the Bolts seem to have righted their ship.
Victor Hedman scored twice for the Bolts, tying his personal record with 17 goals for a season. The only other time Hedman scored 17 was the 2017-18 season, the year Hedman won the Norris Award.
"He’s been really hot shooting the puck," Stamkos said of Hedman. "That’s huge. Teams can’t cover all of us on the ice. You have Pointer in the hole and Killer down low, and when Heddy starts bombing away, that's when things open up"
Also scoring goals for the Bolts were Nikita Kucherov and Anthony Cirelli. The Bolts had 39 shots.
Andrei Vasilevskiy won his 32nd game, stopping 24 of 25 shots.
The only quibble with the Lightning effort was a penalty-filled first period.
"We've got to do better," said Lightning coach Jon Cooper.
The Bolts are home at Amalie Arena on Saturday night against the New York Rangers at 8 p.m.
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