Steven Stamkos empty-net goal on Tuesday night amounted to a very big number: it was his 150th career goal scored in his fourth NHL season. That is a monumental feat and hard to put in context compared to the first four seasons of some of the NHL's legendary goal scorers. While he's no Gretzky or Lemieux, Steven's goal scoring numbers are better than one of his contemporaries (Sidney Crosby - 132) and well behind another (Alex Ovechkin - 219) by comparison.

Earlier, versus the Washington Capitals last Friday, Stamkos also reached the 30 goal plateau for the third consecutive season. He is only the third Tampa Bay Lightning player to amass three consecutive 30-goal seasons. Who else would have more but Martin St. Louis (four consecutive seasons from 2002-03 until 2006-07) and captain Vincent Lecavalier (five consecutive seasons from 2002-03 until 2007-08)?

While we're talking production, Stamkos is 20 assists shy of notching a third consecutive 40+ assist season. St. Louis has a five consecutive season streak of 40+ assists, and he is a scant 13 assists away at current from making it six consecutive seasons (since 2006-07). Lecavalier had a three season streak from 2005-06 until 2007-08, while Vaclav Vinny Prospal had 3 (...if you don't count his single season in Anaheim between years 2 and 3). Brad Richards has the longest 40+ assist streak in team history, having accomplished it every season he had been with the Lightning -- six consecutive seasons. His final season with the Bolts saw him notch 42 assists when you combine his 33 with the Bolts and nine scored with the Dallas Stars.

So, a belated congratulations to Stamkos on his accomplishment. Stay tuned for more feats from #91.

Dana Tyrell went down during yesterday's loss to the Penguins, and he went down hard. Hard enough that he won't be available for Tuesday's game against the Boston Bruins.

In response to this, the Lightning made another call-up from the Norfolk Admirals. Trevor Smith - who has been an AHL mainstay during his career - was promoted to the Lightning. Smith has played 7 NHL game in his career -- all in 2008-09 with the New York Islanders.

He's been an absolute force for the Admirals this season, scoring 16 goals and notching 28 assists in 39 games. His 44 points are 18 shy of his AHL career best (62 points, scored durig the 2008-0 season with the Bridgeport Sound Tigers).

The full press release from the club is below.

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The National Hockey league has seen Steven Stamkos and his goal-scoring ability 148 times since he broke into the league during they 2008-09 season. He's scored 279 career points in 284 games played.

This season, Stamkos leads the NHL in goal-scoring, with 29 through 41 games played. He's above a point-per-game pace too (47 points in 41 games played).

Is it any wonder why Stamkos will represent the Tampa Bay Lightning at the 2012 NHL All-Star game in Ottawa on January 29th?

The Lightning's proverbial "Big THree" (Stamkos, captain Vincent Lecavalier and Martin St. Louis) were all on the initial NHL All-Star Ballot, but none of the above players were voted onto the Eastern Conference team... But none, besides Stamkos, is at the top of the league, either.

A formal press release from the club o Stamkos selection is below the jump.

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The Tampa Bay Lightning announced today that they have traded forward Blair Jones to the Calgary Flames for defenseman Brendan Mikkelson. From the team's press release:

Mikkelson, 6-foot-3, 206 pounds, has played in 86 career NHL games with the Flames and the Anaheim Ducks, recording six assists and 40 penalty minutes. He made his NHL debut during the 2008-09 season and played in a career-high 34 games with Anaheim. Mikkelson played in his first NHL game on January 2, 2009 against Philadelphia.

A native of Regina, Saskatchewan, Mikkelson has appeared in 33 games for the Abbotsford Heat this season, notching three goals and 15 points. He is one of three Heat players to skate in all 33 games in 2011-12 and ranks second among all team defensemen in goals, assists and points.

Mikkelson has played in 183 career AHL games with the Portland Pirates, Iowa Chops, Toronto Marlies and Abbotsford. He has amassed 18 career AHL goals and 64 points. Mikkelson helped Portland to the Eastern Conference Finals of the 2008 Calder Cup Playoffs, recording two goals and eight points.

The 24-year-old was claimed off waivers by Calgary from Anaheim on October 19, 2010. He was drafted by the Ducks in the second round, 31^st overall, of the 2005 NHL Draft.

Mikkelson is expected to join the Lightning, per the @TBLightning Twitter feed. More later....

On first glance at the news, as it was breaking, that Lightning forward Martin St. Louis had been injured in practice, one likely would shrug.

"It's Marty," you'd think. Marty, who overcomes just about every ailment to play (and contribute) on a regular basis. Even if it was a puck to the face, as we found out as details came in this morning, you'd expect Marty to shrug it off and still lace'em up tonight. That's just how he rolls. The dynamo-that-makes-the-Lightning-go endures and excels despite the pain.

Perhaps we, as fans, take that for granted? The fact the 36-year-old St. Louis endures pain to such a degree, we tend to write off an ambiguous injury report as just another class at the School of Hard Knocks (where St. Louis is a tenured professor). It just seems as if we brush off the idea Marty is (dare I say it) human.

But St. Louis' iron-man streak likely ends tonight at 499 games-played after taking a puck to the eye during practice this morning in New York City. A puck to the eye... A puck to the eye! That type of injury helped expedite the end of GM Steve Yzerman's playing career. Defenseman Mattias Ohlund has overcome such an injury in the past when he played in Vancouver...

But it's a puck to the eye, ladies and gentlemen. It's ended more playing careers than you know. Forget about the streak for a minute and worry about the man.

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It was tedious just to find the summer 2000 date when free-agent right wing Martin St. Louis signed a two-year contract with the Tampa Bay Lightning, for what was the NHL league-minimum at the time ($262,000 per season).

The July 31^st, 2000 signing (grouped with signings of Steve Martins and Brian Holzinger) wasn't breaking news on the St. Petersburg Times website. That was the 2000 Major League Baseball trade deadline dealings of the Tampa Bay (Devil) Rays. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers training camp also dominated the headlines of the day with different football fodder. Oh, and Dennis Miller premiering on Monday Night Football was noteworthy too.

Of course, 2000 was a very different time for Tampa Bay Lightning hockey. The Bolts were only set to begin Year Two of a five-year rebuilding effort. The team hadn't managed more than 20 wins since 1996-97.

Lest I forget, Internet reporting also wasn't as immediate as you now know it.

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Dana Tyrell was the odd man out when final cut downs were made in Tampa after the 2011 preseason.  The choice came down to Tyrell having options (being able to be promoted and demoted to the AHL without having to pass through waivers) whiel the likes of Blair Jones, Tom Pyatt, and former Bolt Mattias Ritola, did.

Wednesday night, the Lightning announced Tyrell -- who has 9 points in 18 games with the Norfolk Admirals this season -- was being recalled by the club.  He'll join the team in time for the back-to-back, home-and-home series with teh first-place Florida Panthers this weekend.  It's too early to say if he will play, or if the line-combo of Tyrell, Nate Thompson, and Adam Hall, would be resurrected.

Life with 14 forwards on the Lightning's active roster has been difficult to manage.  Playing time has been sipped away from the likes of Tom Pyatt, Blair Jones, Ryan Shannon and Mattias Ritola at different points all season. 

It's been a game of musical chairs, with the music playing while Mattias Ohlund has been on injured reserve.  There's been no pressing need to make a decision which of the aforementioned forwards to keep or demote to AHL Norfolk.

Musical chairs haven't worked for the Lightning, though.  It's just too many personnel to utilize in a balanced fashion that's fair to the players and gives consistency to the lineup.

It would seem that Wednesday, the music finally stopped and Mattias Ritola was the one without a seat.  TSN's Bob McKenzie reported via Twitter that Ritola has been placed on waivers.  If he clears, he will be sent to the Norfolk Admirals.  The admirals already have a very potent lineup this season and boast a 7-2-1 record, with 15 points.  They lead the East division at current.

Ritola was acquired in 2010 via waiver claim from the Detroit Red Wings.  He's played in five games so far this season and is a minus-2.