After his first Stanley Cup Playoff game against the Pittsburgh Penguins, in which he registered one shot and was knocked into next week by Brooks Orpik, Steven Stamkos of the Tampa Bay Lightning vowed he'd have a "stronger" performance in Game 2.
In Game 2? One shot on goal, 2 penalty minutes, no points.
Stamkos finally hit the score sheet with a secondary assist in the Lightning's Game 3 loss to the Penguins, going down 2-1 in the series. In three games, a 45-goal, 46-assist player has been limited to that lone assist.
Tonight brings a critical Game 4 in Tampa Bay, and Stamkos is again saying it's time for him to make a difference. From CBC Sports:
Stamkos seems confident that he's on the cusp of a breakout.
"I've gotten better each and every game of this series," he said. "Confidence-wise, you feel more comfortable. You know things are going to start going your way. This is a big game for us, and obviously I want to contribute."
What's gone wrong for Stamkos in this series? We asked Penguins radio analyst Phil Bourque on today's Puck Daddy Radio, and he believed it's a combination of the Pittsburgh defense, Stamkos's inexperience — and an injury that may have been plaguing him for some time.
"You kinda get the feeling that he's a lot more banged up than we know about. He doesn't seem to have the jump and the pop in his skating," said Bourque. "He's been trying to get to that left side of the ice, as a right-handed shot, for that wicked one-timer, and the Penguins have been taking that away from him. [The Lightning have] been moving him to the right side on the power play and he's not as effective over there.
"Something's out of sorts with Steve Stamkos. He's a player really struggling to find his game right now."
The Lightning hope he finds it in Game 4.