It already looked like a cruel misstep by Nashville general manager Barry Trotz and a very ugly end to the career of one of the most talented gunners of the 21st century. But Steven Stamkos is not one to give up. He defied harsh judgments and in the last two months he is the second best scorer in the NHL!
Beyond the zenith.
Half without Nikita Kučerova.
Virtually unusable in a five-on-five game.
Stamkos has heard enough about his address. And the criticism was not too surprising, after all, he only scored four goals in the penultimate week of November…
But what many were wrong about, and what no analytics will reveal, was Stamkos’ nature. He didn’t come to the Preds just for the good money…he’s too competitive and too proud for that.
And unbreakable. After all, we are talking about a fighter who years ago did everything possible and impossible to return during the playoffs and help Tampa to the Stanley Cup.
It was a magical moment when, despite his health limitations, he jumped into the finals and gave the Bolts a unique boost for their psyche. A moment worthy of a true leader.
And certainly, no one can stop age, it is difficult for Stamkos to be as omnipresent at thirty-five as he used to be, but he has not forgotten to score goals. And because of his superior feel for the finish, Trotz brought him in.
Since the end of November, the Canadian veteran has been showing it in a glaring way. 20 goals in 29 games, only Nathan MacKinnon and Connor McDavid were better. By a goal. Machrs from another generation, probably the two best forwards of today, superstars.
What has changed? Stamkos’ uprising began after an 8-3 washout by the Florida Panthers, his long-time rivals … his ice time was reduced to 12:50,?for anyone the last straw.
It was at that moment that the indomitability of the two-time Richard Trophy winner showed itself. Resignation? No way! Stamkos responded with a goal and an assist in the next game, then struck again, adding another A…
When he was asked overseas what made him start doing well, he said: “It was faith. We went through a lot as a team and didn’t pack it in. The key players helped us and the rest of us found our roles. Everything started to click.”
His business card looks even more impressive in the past 21 matches, he scored 16 times! Only Zach Hyman (17) is better in the same period.
“Stammer” is shooting like in the days of his greatest glory, he also distinguished himself with two championships – four hits against St. Louis and fresh off a hat trick to Ottawa’s net. It was his sixteenth in his career, among active players only Alex Ovečkin and David Pastrňák have more.
He led it to a stunning turnaround from 0:3, making it into the club’s history. No one before him had ever reversed a three-goal deficit and defeat in such a way.
Stamkos hit one power play, moving away from Marcel Dionne for ninth on the all-time charts. He has already used the numerical advantage 235 times!
“Hedy (Victor Hedman) or Kuch (Kučerov) probably recorded most of them for me,” he thought during a TV interview.
“It was massive,” he said of the five-goal turnaround. “We didn’t want to lose for the third time in a row and in the second half of the match we showed that we care more about the result than our opponents,” he added, adding that the Predators are trying to stay in the fight for the playoffs.
Nashville no longer feels like a doom club. And Stamkos again as a lousy investment. This connection, especially in terms of speed, started to work.
During his rise, Stamkos also surpassed the 600-goal mark in his career, dusted off his reputation, showed his extra class when it comes to how to turn on the red light. He deserves praise. Even rehabilitation in the eyes of the hockey public.
He doesn’t care too much about any of that. No, he longs to experience the peak of the season again, the elimination fights. It doesn’t look hopeless anymore.
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