Tampa Bay Lightning center Steven Stamkos has joined the 1,000-point club, hitting the mark in Thursday night’s game against the Philadelphia Flyers.
Stamkos got his milestone point with a secondary assist on Nick Paul’s goal midway through the second period of the game to give the Lightning a 2-0 lead over the Flyers. He received the puck in the corner of the offensive zone off a cycle from Alex Killorn, and then cycled it behind the net to Ian Cole, who set Paul up for the goal with a pass to the front of the net.
Stamkos becomes the second player to hit the 1,000-point mark this season, after Boston Bruins center Patrice Bergeron got his 1,000th last week (against the Lightning as well). Stamkos is the 95th player in NHL history to reach this milestone, and the first player in Lightning franchise history, as Martin St. Louis reached it after he was traded to the New York Rangers.
Stamkos also becomes the ninth active player in the league to hit the 1,000-point mark, along with Bergeron, Sidney Crosby, Alex Ovechkin, Patrick Kane, Evgeni Malkin, Anze Kopitar, Eric Staal and Nicklas Backstrom. Of those players, only Crosby, Malkin and Ovechkin have higher point-per-game totals than Stamkos’ 1.06, which Kane is also tied with.
The next-closest active player to 1,000 points is Vegas Golden Knights winger Phil Kessel, who is 35 points away after an assist in Vegas’ game against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Thursday night.
The former 2008 first overall pick of the Lightning has played in 944 career games with the team, with 494 goals and 506 assists to make up his 1,000 points. Stamkos is off to a strong start this season as well, with 13 goals, 15 assists and 28 points in 23 games.
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