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Red-hot Stamkos hits 40 goals

Steven Stamkos, Niklas Backstrom

Tampa Bay Lightning center Steven Stamkos (91) scores on Minnesota Wild goaltender Niklas Backstrom (32), of Finland, during a shootout in an NHL hockey game Thursday, Nov. 12, 2009 in Tampa, Fla. The Lightning won the game 4-3. (AP Photo/Chris O’Meara)

AP

Seen Stamkos? You probably have if you’ve been looking at a list of the league’s goal scoring leaders lately.

Only two nobodies named Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin (seriously dudes, get an agent) have scored more goals this season than Steven Stamkos, who potted two goals against Atlanta to reach the 40-goal mark last night. This extends his 16 game point scoring streak, an all-time Tampa Bay Lightning record.

It hasn’t always been rosy for the 20-year old center, though. He was such a shoo-in to be the No. 1 pick of the 2008 NHL Draft that the Lightning’s marketing team began its notorious “Seen Stamkos?” street ad campaign even before the guy was drafted. The campaign became a source of derisive comedy, however, when Stamkos received limited minutes and plenty of criticism during Barry Melrose’s train wreck of a 16 game run as the team’s head coach.

With 18 games left in the regular season, Stamkos already has 76 points - 30 more than he had in his up-and-down 2008-09 campaign. He’s also completed his fair share of highlight reel goals. That doesn’t mean that Stamkos can flaunt a flawless game, however. I asked Cassie McClellan of the Lightning blog Raw Charge to share her thoughts on some of the young forward’s flaws. (She’s definitely more professional than I am, because my critique would have revolved around the fact that he looks like a villain from an ‘80s teen movie.)

“I’m in the minority with this kind of thinking, but while Steven Stamkos unquestionably has offensive talent, that’s about all he has at the moment. He’s hot and cold in the faceoff circle, he’s not much of a playmaker (that’s what he has Martin St. Louis for, after all), and he can be a defensive liability. About all you can say for him is that he’s a finisher. Granted, this is only his second year in the league, but he’s very much a one-dimensional player at this point in his career - which should change as he matures, if he gets the right coaching, but we’ll see.”

Either way, Stamkos certainly should grab the attention of opposing defenders and coaches from now on. (Get it, because he’s being seen? Don’t look at me like that.)