With the Lightning trying to avoid a sweep in Game 4, Stamkos opened the scoring with a power-play goal at 8:54 in the first period. Then, in the third period with the Lightning seemingly holding on for dear life to protect a 4-3 lead, he beat Florida goalie Sergei Bobrovsky with a perfect wrist shot at 9:34 to make it two-goal game.
Stamkos has six points (five goals, one assist), including three power-play goals in the series. The 34-year-old has scored in all four games of the series, making him the fourth player age 34 or older in NHL history with a four-game goal streak to begin a postseason, joining Rick Tocchet (five games in 1998), Teemu Selanne (four games in 2011) and Gordie Howe (four game in 1963).
“He’s been a leader for a long time, that’s what he does,” forward Anthony Duclair said Sunday. “He’s picking everyone up. We might be down at times, but he’s playing unbelievable and he’s leading the way. Everyone has to follow his lead.”
But Stamkos hasn’t just shown his leadership qualities in wins -- it’s been there all series.
“He knows what to say at key times,” Duclair said. “He’s always positive and makes sure that everyone is good. He’s playing very well. He’s scoring big goals and he’s leading the right way.”
Case in point: After a 5-3 home loss in Game 3 on Thursday, Stamkos was the first player available to the media in the dressing room, calmly talking about how the Lightning need to keep fighting. He had the same approach after the Game 4 win.
“We’ve been talking about, OK, the odds aren’t great being down 3-zip, but at 3-1 they’re a little better,” Stamkos said Saturday. “And hopefully the next game it’s 3-2 and [the odds] become a little better. So that’s how we’re taking it.”
After defenseman Mikhail Sergachev played his first game on Saturday since breaking his leg on Feb. 7, he credited Stamkos and his recovery from a similar injury in 2013 as inspiration to get back into the lineup.
“I want to thank ‘Stammer,’ because he broke his leg and Mikey our trainer was showing me videos of Stammer skating like four weeks after,” Sergachev said. “And, you know, that kind of pushed me and made me work because those first four weeks after the injury it was tough.
“But you know, seeing those videos of him walking like pretty much the next day and doing all of that stuff kind of helped.”
Everything Stamkos has done has helped the Lightning, not just this season, but throughout his entire NHL career in Tampa.
The No. 1 pick by the Lightning in the 2008 NHL Draft helped the Lightning win back-to-back Stanley Cup titles in 2020 and 2021. He has 101 points (50 goals, 51 assists) in 127 playoff games, which is third all-time in Tampa Bay history, behind forward Nikita Kucherov, who has 166 points (53 goals, 113 assists) in 146 postseason games and defenseman Victor Hedman, who has 116 (22 goals, 94 assists) in 164 games.
But it’s about more than numbers with Stamkos, and his teammates know it.
“He’s been playing great, that’s why he wears the ‘C’. He’s a great leader,” forward Nicholas Paul said. “He sets the tone for the team. It’s easy to get behind someone that wants to win that much.”
Said Cirelli: “Even in the room, the little speeches he gives out in [between] periods just to keep us going. The way he’s playing is unbelievable and he’s a huge reason we are where we are.”
NHL.com independent correspondent Corey Long contributed to this report
