Steven Stamkos’ Longevity Puts Him In Rare, All-Time Company

Steven Stamkos has built a Hall-of-Fame resume on goal-scoring, but one area of his game stands apart even among the NHL’s elite.

The power play.

With his latest man-advantage tally, Stamkos recorded the 233rd power-play goal of his career, moving past Dino Ciccarelli for tenth on the NHL’s all-time list. In an era defined by video scouting, pre-scouted tendencies, and penalty kills built specifically to take away his shooting lane, Stamkos continues to convert at a historic rate.

What makes the milestone remarkable is not just the volume, but the sustainability. Stamkos’ power-play scoring has spanned nearly two decades.

Opponents have designed penalty kills to try and neutralize his one-timer from the left circle on the power play. Teams know exactly where the puck is headed, yet few have consistently stopped it.

Sort of reminds us of a certain someone in the NHL who shoots right and rips one-timers from the left circle.

Does Alex Ovechkin ring a bell?

Funny enough, Ovechkin opened the game with a power-play goal in the first period. It was from his office.

"It was a heck of a shot by Ovechkin, and then to see Stammer (Stamkos) to do it in the same game is pretty cool," Predators' head coach Andrew Brunette said. "That's about 1500 regular-season goals and who knows how many for them to hit the same spot. Probably the 2 greatest goal scores of our generation." 

Passing Ciccarelli places Stamkos among a small group of players whose impact on the power play transcends era and other team's systems.

While Stamkos' even-strength production has fluctuated over time, his value with the man advantage has remained consistent and elite.

As Stamkos moves further up the NHL’s all-time scoring lists, his ability to change games on the power play continues to set him apart.

Up next: Edmonton Oilers (22-16-7, 2nd Pacific) at Nashville Predators (21-20-4, 5th Central) on Tuesday at 7 p.m. CST at Bridgestone Arena.