Hockey

TAMPA - In just his second year in the NHL, Steve Stamkos has pushed his way into consideration for the Canadian Olympic team at the Vancouver Games in February.

In 21 games playing centre between left winger Ryan Malone and right winger Martin St. Louis, Stamkos has 15 goals and nine assists, giving Steve Yzerman, executive director of the men's hockey team, something to think about.

Stamkos was the first pick overall in the NHL entry draft of 2008 and won a job on the Lightning at the age of 18. But when he finished with 46 points last season on a bad team, the Markham, Ont., native was not in the running for the Olympic team given his age and the depth at centre. He was not invited to last summer's Olympic camp for prospective players.

"It was a little disappointing but it's something you can use as a motivator this year," Stamkos said of the snub. "[Making the team] wasn't really on my mind at the beginning of the year. Now that I've had that good start, the possibility entered my mind that I could be part of the mix."

Stamkos, St. Louis and Malone form one of the most potent lines in the NHL and it points out a key difference between the Lightning and the Toronto Maple Leafs, who play Wednesday night at the St. Pete Times Forum.

Both teams have a good defence corps and both have received good goaltending of late. But unlike the Leafs, who have dropped a large number of close games because their forwards have great difficulty scoring goals, the Lightning are sitting in the eighth and last playoff spot in the Eastern Conference thanks to the 34 goals produced so far by Stamkos's line.

Each member of the line brings an important component to the mix. St. Louis, whose goal production is down this season with just nine in 21 games, is still the best playmaker of the trio with 19 assists. Stamkos, who leads the team in goals, is a finisher as well as a playmaker and Malone, who has 14 goals, uses his 6-foot-4, 220-pound frame to knock bodies around on the boards and come up with the puck.

Maple Leafs head coach Ron Wilson, who will coach the U.S. Olympic team, said Malone has a good chance to make the American team.

"He's a big guy who can skate," Wilson said. "We will need that kind of player against teams like Canada, which will have a big, mobile defence. Malone also doesn't flinch at going into the tough areas to play."

Rick Tocchet, head coach of the Lightning, does not have any input into anyone's Olympic team but said if the choice were up to him, Stamkos would get a spot on the Canadian team.

"With those teams, they like veteran players but they also like to have a few young guys around to get some [international] experience," Tocchet said. "If they are looking at young guys, Stamkos has got to be in the mix."

Antero Niittymaki, who leads the NHL in save percentage at .936, will start in goal for the Lightning. Rookie Jonas Gustavsson, who Wilson said will get all of the starts during the week Vesa Toskala is expected to miss with a groin injury, will be in goal for Toronto.

Christian Hanson, who was called up from the Leafs' Toronto Marlies farm team to replace John Mitchell (knee) on the roster, will play on a line with centre Mikhail Grabovski and Niklas Hagman. Jamal Mayers will be moved to centre to fill the void at that position left by Mitchell's absence.