Steven Stamkos dropped to a knee before swinging his arm around in a Tiger-esque pump toward the rafters. ...more

February 18, 2009

Lightning rookie and overall No. 1 draft pick Steven Stamkos recorded a natural hat trick in Tuesday's game against Chicago, scoring three consecutive goals. Stamkos, who celebrated his 19th birthday on Feb. 12, scored his first goal of the game at 12:58 of the first period when he jumped on puck that caromed off the end boards to the side of the net that he put past Cristobal Huet that tied the game 1-1. Then Stamkos went to work on the power play in the second period. With Craig Adams in the penalty box for a high sticking double-minor at 9:45, Stamkos gave Tampa Bay the lead at 10:28 when he took a down-low, cross-ice feed at the left point from Vinny Prospal and fired a wrist shot to the top of the neat post and over the right shoulder of Huet. Seventy seconds later, with Stamkos back on the left point on the second half of the power play, Stamkos one-timed a Steve Eminger feed past Huet that gave the Lightning a 3-1 lead 11:38 into the second period. Stamkos took to one knee and gave a Tiger Woods-esque fist pump as hats began to rain down from the stands in celebration of the rookie's first career hat trick performance, the first rookie hat trick in franchise history. It is Stamkos' second multi-goal game of the season. The overall No. 1 pick failed early on to live up to the lofty expectations placed on him when Tampa Bay selected him first at the draft in Ottawa back in June. He had four goals through the first 42 games of the season. But since the coaching staff put him onto a strength-training program, which saw him sit out three games as a healthy scratch, Stamkos has improved his play. In his past 13 games, including Tuesday, Stamkos has six goals and five assists. ...more

February 17, 2009

The Pittsburgh Penguins thought they gave a winning effort Saturday night. Andrei Kostitsyn and Carey Price handed them a loss anyway. ...more

December 28, 2008

Change isn't always a good thing, but for Sebring's Efrain Chavis, it was the best of things. ...more

December 18, 2008

Alex Ovechkin had his sixth career hat trick and added an assist to help the Washington Capitals end a three-game losing streak with a 5-3 victory against the Atlanta Thrashers on Wednesday night. ...more

November 27, 2008

Once again, just as the Lightning began to generate the flicker of a belief that the worst might be behind them, they stumbled badly Thursday in an 8-4 loss to the Ottawa Senators at the St. Pete Times Forum. ...more

January 25, 2008

Daniel Briere scored three goals in the third period to lead the Philadelphia Flyers past the Carolina Hurricanes 6-3 on Wednesday night. ...more

November 22, 2007

Nights like Wednesday don't come around very often in the National Hockey League. Not for All-Star players. Not for players who have their named etched on the Stanley Cup. And not for former overall No. 1 draft picks. ...more

November 15, 2007

SEBRING — Amanda Grinaldo's three booming shots on goal in Sebring's season-opening loss to LaBelle didn't get the Blue Streaks on the scoreboard, but they certainly showed signs of the freshman's promise. Two days later, Grinaldo turned that promise into a Sebring victory against Lake Placid, pulling off her first career hat trick in her second start and lifting the Blue Streaks to a 3-2 victory over the Class 3A Green Dragons on Thursday at Firemen's Field. "That's what we expect out of our freshman," grinned Sebring senior captain Sadie Adams. The Streaks' three unanswered goals were all Grinaldo's: She broke behind the Lake Placid defense to score just before the half in the 36th minute, then booted the equalizer on a penalty kick in the 55th and put Sebring on top with a shot from point-blank range in the 75th. ...more

November 3, 2007