New York. Tampa scorer Stephen Stamkos reached 500 goals last night — and took the opportunity to complete a hat-trick in the same amount of time.
– I’m very happy that I was able to do it with the same club, he said after the 5-2 blow that could be the end for Vancouver coach Bruce Boudreau.
He stood at 499 before the game began at Rogers Arena and was no more than four minutes and 40 seconds away until Stephen Stamkos, with a low close-range shot, became the 47th player in NHL history to burst the 500-plus barrier.
Moments later, pure TV disc joy broke onto the ice. The entire team came out of the dugout to celebrate with their captain – and the Vancouver crowd showed class by giving him a standing ovation.
– I really appreciate it, – Stammer tells TNT TV channel afterwards.
– Everything looks great, of course. When things like that happen, you take time to reflect on everything that happened and I’m so glad I did it with the same club and I also feel so grateful towards all my teammates in Tampa over the years.
However, the 500 bowl was just the beginning for the 32-year-old from Ontario. He completed a hat-trick before the night ended, resulting in a 5-2 victory for the Lightning.
Which of course was a bit of a disaster for the Canucks. In that camp, it was hoped that an upset victory over Carolina on Sunday would turn a turn, but no. Against the screws, she looked smart as usual.
– We were trailing 4-0 after one period. You can’t start this way. It’s not good enough, defender Quinn Hughes sighs.
The question is whether hard-working coach Bruce Boudreau can survive the loss. It’s not at all inconceivable that he would be replaced by someone else for the next game, against Colorado on Saturday night.
Rickard Rakell made sure the Pittsburgh Penguins took a point home from Ottawa by defeating Cam Talbot 4-4 on a power play midway through the third period.
But it was not more than that. With the ensuing 25 seconds of overtime, Senators captain Brady Tkachuk scored it 5-4.
– We made a really entertaining match, – says the champion.
Marcus Peterson had one of the best guest plays and he had 2 assists.
At halftime, the New York Islanders held their ground well in Battle of the Night against the Boston Bruins on Long Island, and even took a 1-0 lead after halftime—but then the league leader stepped on the gas, scored four straight goals and won 4-1.
This means that Linus Allmark, who stopped 25 shots, was able to score his 100th NHL win.
– I couldn’t be happier. He says it was difficult to play for such an elite team.
Swedish defender Sebastian Aho assisted in the consolation goal for the Islanders.
Losing to Chicago last week was the final straw for the reigning champions.
Then, they played as if they were sent on a mission complete by God himself, knocking out both Ottawa and Detroit – and last night they ran over Calgary from sheer speed.
After just one period, they took a 3-0 lead, then kicked the momentum and eventually won 4-1.
Finns Miki Rantanen and Arturi scored to be the goalscorers each, and Swedish duo Elias Lindholm and Rasmus Andersson assisted the visitors’ final goal.