Zemgus Girgensons has never been a player known for his goal-scoring ability. With that being said, the Tampa Bay Lightning center has carved out a massively important role for himself as a shutdown forward and penalty kill specialist. Despite his tendency to focus on the defensive side of the game, he did hit an important offense milestone on Thursday, scoring his 100th career goal.
Girgensons, who is in his second season with the Lightning, spent the first 11 seasons of his career with the Buffalo Sabres where he scored 89 goals in 688 games. In Tampa, his offensive production as a whole has taken a step backwards as he's been relied on most often in defensive situations.
This season, Girgensons has started 17.3% of his shifts in the defensive zone and a career-high 23.3% in the neutral zone. As a result, he doesn't often find himself in a situation where he can put the puck in the net which is reflected by the fact that he's only taken 88 shots this season.
While Girgensons' contributions often go under the radar, he makes a massive impact in the defensive zone. As a result, he's stuck around in the NHL long enough to hit a major goal-scoring milestone.