At 7-1-1, the Lightning have matched the best nine-game start in their history (they were 7-1-1 in 2003-04, when they won the Stanley Cup) and have more points than any team in the NHL. Tampa Bay is 6-0-1 in its past seven games and 5-0-0 at home.
Stamkos, who missed the Lightning's final 65 games last season because of a knee injury, leads the NHL with 18 points (three goals, 15 assists); Kucherov is second with 16 (10 goals, six assists). Elias says Stamkos is the fourth player in the past 24 years to have 15 assists in his team's first nine games of the season, as well as the fourth in the past 21 years to average at least two points per game through his team's first nine games. The others were Jaromir Jagr of the Penguins in 1999-2000 (18 points, 2.00 per game), Mario Lemieux of the Penguins in 2002-03 (20 points, 2.22 per game) and Thomas Vanek of the Buffalo Sabres in 2012-13 (19 points, 2.11 per game).
Stamkos scored the 113th power-play goal of his career in the win against Pittsburgh, passing Vincent Lecavalier for the most in Lightning history. He also became the third player, after Martin St. Louis and Lecavalier) to have 600 points (324 goals, 276 assists) with the Lightning. Stamkos ranks second in the NHL in goals and power-play goals since entering the NHL in 2008-09, behind only Alex Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals, who has 405 goals and 156 power-play goals during that span.
