BOSTON -- The TD Garden has not been a kind place to play for Tampa Bay Lightning captain Steven Stamkos.
Not only did he and the Lightning lose Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals against the Boston Bruins in 2011, but Stamkos also had his career slightly altered when he broke his right leg here on Nov. 12, 2013.
Well, he tweaked those misfortunes during Monday's 6-3 win over the Bruins by recording his 500th career NHL point. It was a prototypical Steven Stamkos power play one-timer that beat goaltender Tuukka Rask to give Tampa a 4-3 lead.
"It's special," Stamkos said. "You really never know how much opportunity, or how long you're going to be around in the league, so to get 500 points I feel very fortunate. You think about all the people that helped you along the way get to this point. To do it in a game where it was a big goal at the time, and in this building where I've had some ups and downs, it's another positive one in here. It was nice to have it come in a win."
After the game, a huge roar could be heard coming from inside the Lightning's locker room, teammate Brian Boyle, who scored two goals in the win, then gave Stamkos a congratulatory hug.
"He's 25. He's a superstar. He's an unbelievable teammate, guy and friend. He's a good guy to be around every single day," Boyle said. "We're happy for him. And it was a one-timer."
After Tampa's victory in Buffalo against the Sabres on Saturday, the Lightning arrived in Boston in time for coach Jon Cooper to watch the Bruins host the Montreal Canadiens. The Canadiens won that game 4-2 and Tomas Plekanec scored a goal to register his 500th career point. He's 32. Stamkos is only 25.
"It's a team game, but it's good when guys get individual accomplishments," Cooper said. "For a 25-year-old kid to have 500 points, that's a pretty good milestone, so I'm really happy for him."
Since the Lightning lost to the Chicago Blackhawks in the Stanley Cup finals last June, Stamkos' expiring contract and free agency has been a hot topic in the hockey world. The captain's contract expires at the end of this season, and both sides have been discussing the possibility of a long-term deal.
There's been plenty of speculation that if the sides can't agree on a deal then it's possible Stamkos will be traded in order for Tampa to receive something of value in return.
When training camp began, contract talks cooled so Stamkos could focus on hockey without distraction. He has said many times that it will get done when the time is right.
"It hasn't really affected me at all," Stamkos said. "I know I'm going to get asked about it, but both sides have obviously kept to their word that they were going to keep it between us. I'll just go out there and play hockey. Everyone involved would agree that we want this situation to work and we want our team to win and I want to be a big part of that.
"I don't think I've let it affect me so far. I've come to the rink focused. My teammates know what to expect from me every day. When the time's right that stuff will take care of itself."
Both sides are keeping the nature of contract talks quiet, but the identical eight-year, $10.5-million deals the Blackhawks gave to Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane could serve as benchmarks. The issue, however, is whether or not the Lightning can afford to give Stamkos a similar contract, especially with defenseman Victor Hedman and goaltender Ben Bishop reaching UFA status after the 2016-2017 season.
When asked if he is hoping to still be wearing a Lightning sweater when he reaches his next milestone, Stamkos said: "Yeah, that would be great. Not a lot of people can reach milestones like this, or another big one with the same team, so we'll see. Hopefully those milestones are a lot sooner than later, but it was nice to get this one today with a win."
On Monday, he wasn't thinking about his contract. He wanted to win in Boston, and the Lightning were able to accomplish that thanks in part to his game-winning goal that proved to be a special milestone.
"It's pretty cool to get 500 points in this league, and hopefully there's a lot more to come," Stamkos said.