Lightning Vs. Bruins: Steven Stamkos Scores 50th Goal, Bolts Trounce Boston 6-1

Sidney Crosby may be making his return to the ice later this week, but the NHL has a new top young star: Steven Stamkos. In tonight’s game against the Boston Bruins, Stamkos scored his 49th and 50th goals of the season, giving him his second 50 goal season of his young career.

Stamkos’s career has zoomed off to an improbable, incredible start, ranking him up among the all-time hockey greats. While it’s yet to be seen if his career continues to rise or if Stamkos flattens out like Alex Ovechkin, this is one huge accomplishment:

Stamkos , 22, is the sixth NHL player with two 50-goal seasons before age 23: Gretzky, Bossy, Lemieux, Nieuwendyk, Ovechkin.

— Damian Cristodero (@LightningTimes) March 14, 2012

Stamkos’s goals didn’t end up meaning much in the context of the game, as the Lightning won by the score of 6-1. But still, it’s not every day that any player scores two goals against the Bruins’ defense.

In other news, if tonight’s game was Dustin Tokarski’s first real test, he passed with flying colors. The rookie goaltender saved 33 out of 34 shots against, holding Boston’s high-powered offense scoreless until the beginning of the third period. The Bruins put a lot of pressure on him in the last period, putting 17 shots on net, but Tokarski held them to just one goal. And as an added bonus, Tokarski got his first NHL assist tonight, as he got the second assist on a power play goal in the first period.

For their next game, the Lightning will face the Maple Leafs on Thursday at 7:30pm. Be sure to drop on by SB Nation Tampa Bay for full game coverage.

For more on the Tampa Bay Lightning, check out SB Nation’s blog on the Bolts, Raw Charge.

Lightning Vs. Bruins: Stamkos Scores 49th Goal, Bolts Increase Lead

The Tampa Bay Lightning finished the first period ahead of the Boston Bruins by a score of 4-0, and they wasted no time tacking on to their lead in the second period. Three minutes into the second period, Steven Stamkos wrapped the puck in to score his league-leading 49th goal of the season, putting the Bolts up 5-0.

Despite some intense pressure from the Bruins — they had 15 shots in the period to the Bolts’ 3 — Dustin Tokarski kept the Bruins scoreless, making some impressive saves in the process. For a rookie goaltender in only his third NHL start of the season, he is holding up quite well to everything the Bruins can throw at him.

With their commanding lead, the Lightning can sit back and relax in the third period, and it’s likely that head coach Guy Boucher will choose to rest some of his top players. He has been forced to ride his top line hard due to injuries and general ineffectiveness, so Steven Stamkos and Victor Hedman could certainly use an easier night.

For more on the Tampa Bay Lightning, check out SB Nation’s blog on the Bolts, Raw Charge.

Lightning Vs. Bruins: Bolts Lead 4-0 After First Period

In a surprising turn of events, the Tampa Bay Lightning have jumped out to an early lead over the Northeast Division leading Boston Bruins. The Lightning wasted no time putting pressure on Bruins goalkeeper Marty Turco, scoring three times on six shots against him within the first five minutes of play. After that, the Bruins pulled Turco and put in Tim Thomas in his place, and the Bruins were able to hold the Lightning to only one more goal over the remainder of the period.

As if this lead wasn’t improbable enough, the Lightning have managed to score all four of their goals without the input of their top line. Steven Stamkos and Mart St. Louis were not on the ice for any of the goals scored, and instead the Bolts’ later lines have picked up the slack. In particular, Victor Hedman is having an impressive night, scoring his fourth goal of the season and racking up an assist as well.

The Bruins have only managed to put two shots on goal, and rookie Dustin Tokarski has been perfect thus far. We’ll see if that trend continues as the game goes along.

For more on the Tampa Bay Lightning, check out SB Nation’s blog on the Bolts, Raw Charge.

Lightning Vs. Bruins: Dustin Tokarski To Face First Big Challenge

The Tampa Bay Lightning (31-30-7) face the Boston Bruins (40-25-3) in Tampa, Florida. The Bolts must trust in rookie goalie Dustin Tokarski to keep them alive.