Now that Vincent Lecavalier's scoring streak is over, it's well worth a closer look.
The Tampa Bay Lightning captain lifted his club out of an offensive slump almost single-handedly when he posted multiple points in eight consecutive games. The amazing run earned him NHL top star honors in consecutive weeks.
Starting with a three-assist performance in a 6-4 loss to Atlanta on Nov. 3, Lecavalier went on a tear during which he scored seven goals and helped set up 14 others. Tampa Bay dropped the first two games of his streak, stretching the Lightning's skid to five straight losses, but then went 5-0-1 in the remaining games.
During Tampa Bay's fruitless three-game road trip against the New York Rangers, New York Islanders and New Jersey Devils earlier this month, the Lightning were winless and scored only twice — a pair of goals by Lecavalier.
The streak started as soon as the Lightning returned home and didn't stop until Tampa Bay's 2-1 loss to the Rangers on Tuesday night.
"Once you start scoring, it seems like you can really see the net," said Lecavalier, who entered the weekend with an NHL-best 34 points. "But, you know, if you go three, four, five games, you get to squeezing your stick a little bit. You see the goalie a lot bigger. It kind of goes both ways.
"Right now, my confidence and our confidence is pretty good. When I get in front of a goalie, it's all about confidence, I think. If you're calm and you don't squeeze your stick, good things will happen."
And it is happening for the No. 1 pick of the 1998 NHL draft. In his streak alone, Lecavalier put up more points than five-time scoring champion Jaromir Jagr has all season.
Lecavalier tied a career high with five points (3 goals, 2 assists) in the Lightning's 6-1 win over Carolina last week. He was tied for fifth in the league with 14 goals one season after taking the Rocket Richard Trophy with an NHL-best 52.