Steven Stamkos thriving in different role with Lightning

By FRED GOODALL
AP Sports Writer

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — At 32 and wrapping up his 14th season, Steven Stamkos is no longer one of the NHL’s most prolific scorers or even the second- or third-best player on his own team. The six-time All-Star and two-time Richard Trophy winner as the league’s leading goal scorer is the undisputed leader of the Tampa Bay Lightning, though, and one of the reasons the two-time defending Stanley Cup champions are four wins away from the first three-peat in 40 years. Stamkos has scored a team-leading nine goals in 17 games this postseason, including a pair in Tampa Bay’s 2-1 series-clinching victory over the Rangers in the Eastern Conference final. Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final is Wednesday night, with the Lightning facing the Colorado Avalanche.