DETROIT – Tyler Johnson scored 29 goals and 43 assists in 77 games this season with the Lightning.
His 72 points are as many as Steven Stamkos had in 82 games. Johnson centered the top scoring line in the NHL with Ondrej Palat (63 points) and Nikita Kucherov (65 points) on his wings.
Johnson now leads his team with 5 points in four playoff games in the opening round series against the Detroit Red Wings. He scored two goals in Tampa's 5-1 win in Game 2 and another 2 goals in Game 4. Of course, one of those was the game-winner in overtime.
Game 5 is 6 p.m. Saturday (TV: NBCSN).
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Coming into this postseason, Johnson had only four NHL playoff games under his belt. However, he's no stranger to big hockey stages.
Johnson scored 9 points in 8 games last year with the United States team at the IIHF World Championships. He has played in 32 AHL playoff games (35 points).
Along the way, the diminutive forward (5'8", 175 pounds -- disputed) has had to prove to people he deserves to be playing at each higher level, and at each level he becomes a star. In fact, no one drafted him. That's right, no one drafted a guy who scored 115 points in 71 games in 2010-11 with the WHL's Spokane Chiefs. He scored another 14 points in 14 playoff games with the Chiefs that year, too.
In stepped Tampa GM Steve Yzerman. He knows a thing or two about people doubting a player because of his size. He signed Johnson to a three-year entry-level contract in 2011, making sure no one else got to him.
Johnson now has 128 points in 173 NHL games. He is 24 years young right now and his future is getting brighter and brighter with each passing game.
Soon, he could be outshining his teammate Steven Stamkos -- he sure is doing that in this opening round playoffs series against Detroit.
As the saying goes: the kid's a stud.