#factfactfacts
* Two members of the Lightning have experience in regular-season NHL games outside North America:
Ryan McDonagh (0-1—1 in 2 GP) in 2011 with the Rangers and
Steven Stamkos (2 GP) as a rookie in 2008 with the Lightning.
* Stamkos hit the ice for his first regular-season game with the Lightning on Oct. 4, 2008 at O2 Arena in Prague, Czech Republic – one of five players to make their NHL debut overseas that day (also
Vladimir Mihalik w/ TBL,
Janne Niskala w/ TBL,
Paul Bissonnette w/ PIT and
Lauri Korpikski w/ NYR). Prior to that day, 15 players had made their League debut in a regular-season game contested outside North America.
* A little more than 11 years later, Stamkos (398-381—779 in 759 GP) now needs two goals to reach 400 in his NHL career. Should he hit the mark in Sweden (760 GP or 761 GP), Stamkos would become the 21st-fastest player in League history to accumulate 400 regular season goals. Regardless of when he hits the mark, Stamkos is on track to become the second-fastest
active player to reach the milestone behind
Alex Ovechkin (634 GP on Dec. 20, 2013).
* Stamkos has 18 career goals against Buffalo, his eighth-highest total against one team during the regular-season behind Florida (32 G in 52 GP), Winnipeg/Atlanta (28 G in 36 GP), Philadelphia (23 G in 32 GP), Boston (21 G in 40 GP), New Jersey (20 G in 35 GP), Toronto (20 G in 40 GP) and Montreal (19 G in 38 GP).
*
Victor Hedman (Ornskoldsvik) is Tampa Bay’s lone Swedish-born player and the franchise leader in career games played (707), assists (331) and points (427) by a player from Sweden.
* Hedman is one of three different Swedish-born players to win the Norris Trophy, and the last to do so (2017-18) - following
Nicklas Lidstrom (7x) and
Erik Karlsson (2x). The 10 combined Norris Trophy wins by Swedish defensemen are second only to Canada (47).
* Overall, 18 different Swedish-born players have won an individual NHL award, most recently
Elias Pettersson (Calder Memorial Trophy) and
Robin Lehner (Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy and William M. Jennings Trophy) last season.
* Hedman is one of three Lightning players to score a go-ahead goal in the final five minutes of regulation this season (Oct. 23 vs. PIT; also:
Kevin Shattenkirk: Oct. 17 at BOS and
Ondrej Palat: Oct. 30 at NJD). There have been 13 such goals across the NHL overall in 2019-20.
* Palat (98-198—296 in 440 GP) enters the 2019 NHL Global Series within reach of career milestones for goals (100), assists (200) and points (300).