Steven Stamkos silences doubters with scorching-hot one-timer vs. Capitals

The Tampa Bay Lightning have gotten off to a sluggish start in their series against the Washington Capitals, and many have placed part of the blame on captain Steven Stamkos.

The Tampa Bay Lightning went into Game 3 of their series against the Washington Capitals already down 2-0 — losses both suffered at their home arena — and facing a rising din of criticism from the fan base and the media.

Much of that blame was laid at the feet of captain Steven Stamkos. Sure, Stamkos has two goals and one assist so far — but all of those points have been courtesy of the power play unit. Not sustainable.

Apparently, the Lightning have been feeling the heat:

That all changed in the first period of Tuesday night’s game.

It was like it happened in slow motion. On the power play, Victor Hedman and Brayden Point set Stamkos up for a laser of a one-timer from the lower left circle. We all knew what was happening — the Capitals most of all — and they were powerless to stop it.

Stamkos’ audible “YEAH!” sounded above everything else, and in that moment, you just felt the weight of the two previous losses falling off the captain’s shoulders.

The goal put the Lightning at 4/8 on the power play in this series. It was the first time they’ve netted the opening score in the Eastern Conference Final.

Moreover, with the power-play goal — the 10th of his postseason career — Stamkos passed Martin St. Louis to become Tampa Bay’s all-time leading playoff power-play scorer, at 25 points, per Bryan Burns.

“It’s gut check time,” Stamkos told the media ahead of Game 3. “Let’s see who we really are.”

So far, the Stamkos we’re seeing tonight — rather than the one of the previous two games — appears to be who he really is.

Update: The Lightning won 4-2 to bring the series to 2-1.

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