Kukla's Korner Hockey

Kukla's Korner Hockey

More Of Steven Stamkos Needed

06/05/2015 at 4:33pm EDT

from Cam Cole of the Vancouver Sun,

Stamkos’s omission from the home team’s last-gasp effort was not quite in the same league as Team Canada coach Marc Crawford leaving Wayne Gretzky out of the shootout against the Czechs in the semifinal at the Nagano Olympics, but it’s a puzzler, nonetheless.

Was this a message from coach to player? If so, it was an odd time to deliver it. Did the six players Cooper chose for that final push give the Lightning the best chance to score? Evidently, the coach thought so, and you can hardly blame him for Johnson, who leads the playoffs in goals (12) and points (21), and Kucherov and Killorn, each of whom have had hot streaks (and Killorn had the Tampa goal Wednesday).

But six attackers, none named Stamkos?

Is he hurt? Are there still lingering effects from the broken leg that kept him out of the Sochi Olympics?

Remember early this season, when he said: “Well, that’s kind of the million-dollar question right there: is it ever going to feel the same as pre-injury? I don’t know the answer to that.”

Maybe this is the answer.

Not that there’s anything shabby about the 43 goals he scored in this, his first full season back after the injury. He scored 60 in the last 82-game season before he broke his leg, but it’s also a different game now. Only Alex Ovechkin, with 53, broke the 50-goal plane.

And it’s the playoffs, where goals are harder still to come by.

more

Create an Account

In order to leave a comment, please create an account.

About Kukla's Korner Hockey

Paul Kukla founded Kukla’s Korner in 2005 and the site has since become the must-read site on the ‘net for all the latest happenings around the NHL.

From breaking news to in-depth stories around the league, KK Hockey is updated with fresh stories all day long and will bring you the latest news as quickly as possible.

Email Paul anytime at [email protected]

Most Recent Posts

Most Recent Comments

Comment by EthrDemon in Abel to Yzerman from the entry Still In It For Bubble Teams In The East - 3 hours ago
Comment by Steeb in Abel to Yzerman from the entry Still In It For Bubble Teams In The East - 4 hours ago