Kucherov recorded two assists in Tampa Bay's 5-4 overtime loss to Toronto in Game 4 on Monday.
Kucherov has a goal and six points in four postseason contests this year. This has been a fantastic month for him overall, with the 29-year-old contributing three goals and 15 points in 10 outings. Kucherov serves on Tampa Bay's top line and first power-play unit. The Lightning will likely lean on him heavily again Thursday, especially with Tampa Bay down in the series 3-1 and thus looking to stave off elimination.
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Lightning's Nikita Kucherov: Fights in overtime loss
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Kucherov picked up an assist Saturday in a 4-3 overtime loss to Toronto in Game 3.
He tackled Morgan Rielly in the third period after the defender and Brayden Point went hard into the boards, injuring Point. Kucherov took exception and then spent a chunk of the final frame in the box. He plays with an extra edge in the postseason -- he has 110 PIM in 139 playoff games, which is a significant uptick from his regular-season style (319 PIM in 644 games played). Kucherov was dangerous all night, firing six shots, but he couldn't solve Ilya Samsonov. Expect an inspired offensive game in Game 4. Kucherov can't be held down for long.
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Lightning's Nikita Kucherov: Three points in series opener
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Kucherov had a goal and two assists -- all on the power play -- in Tuesday's 7-3 Game 1 win over the Maple Leafs.
Kucherov did his best work in the waning seconds of periods, adding some extra sting to his production in this routine road win. He scored with four seconds left in the first period and set up Brayden Point with two seconds remaining in the second. In between, Kucherov assisted on another goal by Point.
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Lightning's Nikita Kucherov: Another power-play helper
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Kucherov put up an assist in a 5-0 win Thursday over Detroit.
Kucherov's 113-point season (82 games) marks the second best point total of his career (128; 2018-19). He'll head into the postseason on a six-game, nine-point streak (two goals, seven assists). The helper came on the power play -- Kucherov's racked up 51 points with the man advantage this season. That's the fourth best total in the NHL; the top three power-play producers all toil in Edmonton (Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins).
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Lightning's Nikita Kucherov: Second time to 80 assists
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Kucherov delivered two power-play assists in a 7-4 loss to Ottawa on Saturday.
It was his 80th assist of the season, his second time reaching that plateau (87, 2018-19). Kucherov sits third in NHL scoring (110 points) and second in assists. His 48 PPP are fourth-best overall and the best among non-Edmonton player in the league.
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Lightning's Nikita Kucherov: Only Bolt to strike lightning
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Kucherov scored the Lightning's only goal in a 6-1 loss to the Islanders on Thursday.
He wired a wrist shot from the left circle on a feed from Brayden Point at 16:47 of the second period. It was Kucherov's 30th goal of the season, the sixth time in his NHL career that he's hit that milestone. Kuch has 108 points on the season, which keeps third in NHL scoring overall.
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Lightning's Nikita Kucherov: Eleven points in last 10 games
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Kucherov had a goal and an assist in a 5-0 win over the Islanders on Saturday.
Kucherov beat Ilya Sorokin blocker side on a second-period breakaway after taking a stretch pass from Brayden Point. The goal was his first in six games, but he has 11 points (three goals, eight assists) in his last 10 and 106 on the season. This is Kucherov's second-best offensive season (2018-19; 128 points).
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Lightning's Nikita Kucherov: Picks up two points
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Kucherov picked up two assists and three shots, helping the Lightning to a 4-0 win over the Hurricanes on Tuesday.
Kucherov picked up helpers on Steven Stamkos' opening goal and Brayden Point's second goal. This marks Kucherov's second multi-point game in his last three games and gives him four points in that span. On the season, the Russian superstar has 28 goals and 104 points in 75 games.
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Lightning's Nikita Kucherov: Two helpers not enough
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Kucherov had two assists Thursday in a 7-2 loss to Ottawa.
Kooch continues to pad his scoring totals -- he now has 102 points, including the NHL's second-best tally for helpers (74). With coach Jon Cooper calling out the team for its play after the game, Kucherov needs to be a big part of the leadership to shift that narrative.
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Lightning's Nikita Kucherov: Grabs 100th point Sunday
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Kucherov tallied a goal on four shots in Sunday's 5-2 loss to the Devils.
Kucherov opened the scoring Sunday, one-timing a Steven Stamkos feed past Vitek Vanecek just after Tampa's power play had expired. The goal marks the 100th point of the season for Kucherov, the third time in his nine-year NHL career that he's reached triple digits. The 29-year-old winger is up to 28 goals and 72 assists through 71 games. He trails only Edmonton's Connor McDavid (76) in helpers this season.
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Lightning's Nikita Kucherov: Never too many apples
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Kucherov picked up two assists in a 5-3 win over Montreal on Saturday.
He's now riding a modest, three-game scoring streak (one goal, three assists). Kucherov's 72 assists are good for second in the NHL, behind only Connor McDavid (76). And his next point will be this 100th. Only two players -- Connor McDavid (134) and Leon Draisaitl (104) -- have already hit the century mark in points for this season.
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Lightning's Nikita Kucherov: Second straight three-point game
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Kucherov scored a goal and added two assists in a 4-3 overtime loss to Vegas on Thursday.
It's his second consecutive three-point game (two goals, four assists). Kucherov now has 94 points and is inching closer to Leon Draisaitl (97) and second place on the NHL scoring list.
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Lightning's Nikita Kucherov: Erupts for three power-play points
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Kucherov scored two goals and an assist on four shots, fueling the Lightning to a 5-2 victory over the Flyers on Tuesday.
The second star of the game, Kucherov scored two power-play goals in the contest. He would also add an assist on Alex Killorn's power-play goal in the first period. The Russian forward snapped a four-game goal drought with this performance and has 13 points in his last 10 games. On the season, Kucherov has 25 goals and 91 points in 64 games.
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Lightning's Nikita Kucherov: No points after benching
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Kucherov had four shots, one hit and one minor penalty in a 6-0 loss to the Hurricanes on Sunday.
Coach Jon Cooper had benched Kucherov, Steven Stamkos and Brayden Point for the third period of Saturday's loss to Buffalo because they weren't performing well enough to give the team the best chance to win. They were back in action Sunday, but Tampa Bay's offense couldn't get rolling because of a parade to the penalty box. The Bolts are on a five-game losing streak heading into a four-game week, and Kucherov will be a key performer to help break the skid.
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Lightning's Nikita Kucherov: Home point streak at 21 games
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Kucherov put up an assist in Thursday's 5-4 overtime loss to the Penguins.
Kucherov extended his Lightning record home point streak to 21 games with the power-play assist. And he's on a seven-game, nine-point streak that includes seven assists. Kucherov is one of the NHL's best right wingers, hands down. There's not much this guy can't do.
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Lightning's Nikita Kucherov: Gets two points Sunday
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Kucherov collected a goal and an assist in Tampa Bay's 7-3 loss to Pittsburgh on Sunday.
Kucherov scored at 18:05 of the first period to give the Lightning a 2-1 edge. He has 23 goals and 85 points in 59 contests in 2022-23. Kucherov is on a five-game scoring streak with two goals and seven points over that stretch.
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Lightning's Nikita Kucherov: Records two points vs. Detroit
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Kucherov contributed a goal and an assist in the Lightning's 3-0 victory over Detroit on Saturday.
Kucherov found the back of the net at 19:53 of the second period to put the Lightning up 2-0. He has 22 goals and 83 points in 58 contests in 2022-23. The 29-year-old has recorded a goal and five points over his current four-game scoring streak.
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Lightning's Nikita Kucherov: Scores in Tuesday's victory
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Kucherov scored a goal on three shots and added two hits in Tuesday's 4-3 shootout win over the Avalanche.
Kucherov got the Lightning on the board in the second period, converting on a pass from Brayden Point. The goal extended Kucherov's point streak to 11 games, a span in which he's racked up four tallies and 12 helpers. The 29-year-old winger continues to impress this season with 21 goals, 78 points, 178 shots and a plus-4 rating through 53 appearances.
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Lightning's Nikita Kucherov: Grabs two helpers in loss
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Kucherov logged a pair of assists in Tuesday's 4-3 overtime loss to San Jose.
Kucherov assisted on Brayden Point's power-play tally in the first period before setting up Point again later in the frame. The two-assist performance extends Kucherov's point streak to eight games. He's tallied 13 points (three goals, 10 assists) in that span. The 29-year-old winger is up to 20 goals and 55 assists on the season. He's on pace to top the 80-point mark for the fifth time in his career.
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Lightning's Nikita Kucherov: Pots 20th tally
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Kucherov scored his 20th goal of the season in Monday's 7-1 loss to the Panthers.
His tally early in the second period gave Tampa Bay a brief flicker of hope, but it only ended up spoiling Sergei Bobrovsky's shutout bid. Kucherov did extend his point streak to seven games, a stretch in which the 29-year-old has three goals and 11 points.
