Steven Stamkos Scores 500th Goal of His Career

Tampa Bay center Steven Stamkos scored the 500th goal of his NHL career on January 18th in the Lightnings’ 5-2 victory over the Canucks in Vancouver. Stamkos scored the landmark goal at 4:40 of the first period, and added a second goal later in the period. And for good measure he made it a hat trick in the third, scoring a late empty net goal.

The three goals increased Stamkos’ total on the season to 21; he also 31 assists. His 52 points are second on the team to Nikita Kucherov’s 64. Kucherov had a goal and an assist in the win. Tampa Bay is fourth in the Eastern Conference with 59 points.