from Kevin Allen of USA TODAY,

General manager Dean Lombardi believes that Jeff Carter's recent goal explosion is simply the dividend of sweat equity.

He recalls seeing Carter and four or five teammates working out at a local football field last August on some days when the temperature pushed above 90 degrees.

"They had the pylons out and it was hot, and I could tell by watching that it was hard," Lombardi said. "He was working so hard, and when you combine that kind of work ethic with his athletic ability, now you have something."

With 16 goals, Carter is two behind the Tampa Bay Lightning's Steven Stamkos for the NHL lead.

"That's growth," Lombardi said of Carter's offseason regimen. "Early in his career, Jeff would not have been considered the hardest worker on his team. But he was the hardest worker coming into camp. And he is being rewarded."

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