Stamkos' first goal puts Tampa in confident spot

Steven Stamkos is one of the most gifted scorers in the NHL, but he was also one of the most beleaguered scorers when he was held without a goal through the first eight games of the playoffs. That all changed in Game 2, when Stamkos finally cashed in for his first tally of the postseason to give the Lightning a 2-1 lead at a key point in Sunday's game.  

"It’s not like Stammer got the 6-2 goal; it’s a 1-1 game and it’s a battle and he gets you the 2-1 goal, and that’s when you need your big guy to get the big goal and he got it for us,’’ Lightning coach Jon Cooper told The Tampa Tribune. “It’s a big moment in the game when we are trying to take the crowd out of it, and probably deflate their balloon a little bit. ... That’s what I’m impressed with."

While Stamkos might have deflated Montreal's balloon, he reinflated his own. Like any player, Stamkos told The Tampa Tribune it was hard to keep his confidence high during his goal-scoring slump.

"This game is about confidence, and you score a goal and nothing has changed, but all of a sudden your legs feel lighter, you feel better with the puck, things are starting to bounce your way, and that’s just the way this game goes,’’ Stamkos told The Tampa Tribune. “So when you have the confidence, it’s not easy to get and it’s easy to lose."

A confident Steven Stamkos is the last thing Montreal needs. The typically defensively strong Canadiens have been outscored, 8-3, in the first two games of the best-of-seven series. The Canadiens enter Game 3 with seven consecutive losses to the Lightning.

(h/t The Tampa Tribune)

Photo by Eric Bolte-USA TODAY Sports