Tampa Bay's high-scoring superstar Steven Stamkos is out indefinitely with a broken leg. But wait! The Bolts also have last year's scoring leader Martin St. Louis.
At age 38, with over a thousand NHL games under his belt, can their accomplished captain carry the offense? Unfortunately the odds are against him, as recent declines in his playmaking abilities, and in the team's overall power play, may have been masked by Stamkos' exceptional play.
That's not to say that St. Louis isn't a highly consistent and accomplished scorer. He is seventh among active players in career assists (585) and ninth in points (933). Only San Jose's Joe Thornton has more points than St. Louis since the 2003-04 season when he first won the Art Ross trophy.
Nevertheless, Tampa Bay has lost four straight after two initial wins without Stamkos. They've scored 13 goals in those six games, five of which directly involved St. Louis. That's a full goal per game fewer than they averaged when their prolific sniper was in the lineup.
Is this what we should expect from the Lightning for the fo ...
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Article written by Rob Vollman
Can Ageless Martin St. Louis Carry Lightning’s Offense Without Steven Stamkos?
November 23rd, 2013 by Rob Vollman Leave a reply »
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