Lightning's Nikita Kucherov: Moves up playoff record charts
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Kucherov delivered three assists Saturday in a 5-1 win over the Panthers in Game 3.
Kucherov has 11 playoff outings with three assists, tying Paul Coffey and Doug Gilmour for third-most all-time, per George Richards of NHL.com. The trio sits behind Wayne Gretzky, who did it 28 times, and Mark Messier, who accomplished the feat 12 times. Kucherov is also the seventh NHL player to put up at least 30 multi-assist games in the postseason. The win got the Bolts back in the series. Game 4 is Monday night, with the Panthers up 2-1.
Kucherov notched a power-play assist and two shots on goal in Tuesday's 6-2 loss to the Panthers in Game 1.
Kucherov racked up a stunning 29 points over 17 contests to close out the regular season, securing his second straight Art Ross Trophy with 121 points in 78 outings overall. He was able to get on the scoresheet again in the playoff opener, but the Lightning weren't able to put together much else on offense. Kucherov's one of the most dynamic players in the league, and Tampa Bay will need him at his best to go on a deep run in the postseason.
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Lightning's Nikita Kucherov: Art Ross winner adds two points
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Kucherov had a goal and an assist in a 5-1 win over Florida on Tuesday.
Kucherov has five points, including three goals, in his last two games and 10 points (four goals, six assists) in his past six outings. That run has brought him up to 121 points in 77 appearances to lead the NHL, and he has secured his third Art Ross Trophy. Kucherov is also tied with Nathan MacKinnon for the league lead in assists (84).
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Lightning's Nikita Kucherov: Likely secures Art Ross Trophy
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Kucherov scored twice on four shots, dished an assist and went plus-2 in Sunday's 7-4 win over the Sabres.
With the three-point effort, Kucherov took sole possession of the NHL lead in points with 119 (36 goals, 83 assists). Nathan MacKinnon's (undisclosed) regular season is over with 116 points, and the next two closest players are more than 10 points back, which is too large a deficit to overcome this late in the year. Once official, this will be Kucherov's third time winning the Art Ross Trophy as the league leader in points, which includes his career-best 144-point performance in 2023-24. Kucherov has added 259 shots on net, 45 PIM and a plus-21 rating over 76 appearances this season. It's unclear if he'll be rested for either of the Lightning's last two games -- as of Sunday, they still have seeding to play for.
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Lightning's Nikita Kucherov: Three-point effort in win
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Kucherov produced a goal and two assists, all on the power play, in Monday's 5-1 win over the Rangers.
The Lightning's top power-play unit dominated the game, as Brayden Point and Jake Guentzel also had three-point performances with the man advantage. Kucherov has delivered five multi-point efforts in the last seven games, a surge which has allowed him to keep pace with Nathan MacKinnon for the NHL scoring lead -- both players have 115 points, but the Bolts have one more game left on their schedule than the Avs.
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Lightning's Nikita Kucherov: Nabs assist Saturday
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Kucherov provided an assist and added three shots on goal in Saturday's 3-2 shootout loss to the Sabres.
Kucherov found Brayden Point for the opening tally at 1:35 of the second period. Thursday's game in Ottawa saw the end of Kucherov's nine-game, 19-point streak, but he remains one of the most consistent contributors in the league. He's now at 112 points (33 goals, 79 assists), 250 shots on net and a plus-22 rating over 72 contests in 2024-25. He's three points back of Nathan MacKinnon for the league lead, but the Lightning have two games in hand on the Avalanche, giving Kucherov plenty of time to mount a challenge for the Art Ross Trophy.
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Lightning's Nikita Kucherov: Second straight four-point game
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Kucherov had a goal and three assists in a 5-3 victory over the Islanders on Saturday.
It was Kucherov's second straight game with a goal and three assists. He put up the same numbers in an 8-0 win against Utah on Thursday. Kucherov has consecutive four-point performances an incredible six times in his career, putting him in a select group of players that includes Wayne Gretzky (32), Mario Lemieux (19), and Paul Coffey (six), Mike Bossy (six) and Marcel Dionne (six), per Stefan Rosner of NHL.com. Kucherov is riding an eight-game, 17-point scoring streak (five goals, 12 assists), pulling him even with Nathan MacKinnon for the NHL scoring lead with 109 points.
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Lightning's Nikita Kucherov: Four-point night extends streak
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Kucherov had a goal and three assists in an 8-0 win over Utah on Thursday. One of the assists came on the power play.
Kucherov has 13 points (four goals, nine assists) during a seven-game scoring streak. He continues to chase Nathan MacKinnon for the Art Ross trophy -- Kucherov is currently two points behind MacKinnon with 105 points, including 73 assists. Kucherov also has 40 power-play points, including 33 helpers, 232 shots and nine game-winning goals this season.
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Lightning's Nikita Kucherov: Third straight 100-point season
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Kucherov scored a goal and added two assists in a 6-1 win over the Penguins on Tuesday.
Kucherov now has 101 points (30 goals, 71 assists) in 67 games, and he extended his point streak to six games (nine points; three goals, six assists). He hit 100 points for the third straight season and fifth time in 11 NHL seasons. Kucherov also became the 10th player in NHL history to have three straight seasons with 70 or more helpers.
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Lightning's Nikita Kucherov: Two points in Monday's win
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Kucherov scored the game-winning goal and added a power-play assist in Monday's 2-0 win over the Flyers.
His GWG late in the first period came on a brilliant solo effort, as he stole the puck in his own zone and outraced the Philly defense down the ice before beating Ivan Fedotov on the breakaway. Kucherov has produced six multi-point performances in 15 appearances since the beginning of February, racking up six goals and 20 points over that span. The 31-year-old superstar has also established a new career high with nine game-winning goals on the season.
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Lightning's Nikita Kucherov: Assist in return from illness
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Kucherov (illness) picked up an assist Saturday in a 6-2 win against Boston.
Kucherov played 19:25 and fired three shots. He had missed Thursday's 4-3 shootout loss at Philadelphia. Kucherov is firmly third in NHL scoring with 93 points. Both Nathan MacKinnon and Leon Draisaitl have already cracked the century mark, and the guy who's fourth on the list has 85 points (Connor McDavid). Make sure Kucherov's in your lineup.
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Lightning's Nikita Kucherov: Good to play Saturday
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Kucherov (illness) is good to return Saturday versus Boston, per Gabby Shirley of FanDuel Sports Network Florida & Sun.
Kucherov missed Thursday's 4-3 shootout loss to Philadelphia due to the illness. He has 28 goals and 92 points in 61 appearances in 2024-25. Kucherov was one of just 11 forwards on the ice for Tampa Bay during Saturday's pregame warmups, so the Lightning are expected to dress seven defensemen. Forwards Mitchell Chaffee and Cam Atkinson are expected to be healthy scratches, while Darren Raddysh is set to serve as the seventh blueliner.
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Lightning's Nikita Kucherov: Unavailable Thursday
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Kucherov (illness) will miss Thursday's clash against Philadelphia, per Gabby Shirley of FanDuel Sports Network Florida & Sun.
Kucherov has 28 goals and 92 points in 61 appearances in 2024-25. His absence will likely result in Nick Paul moving up to the top line to play alongside Jake Guentzel and Brayden Point. The Lightning will also switch from dressing 11 forwards to 12, so Cam Atkinson and Mitchell Chaffee are set to draw into the lineup after they were each a healthy scratch Tuesday. Meanwhile, Darren Raddysh will shift to press box because the Lightning are utilizing six blueliners instead of their previous seven.
Kucherov (illness) will be a game-time decision versus Philadelphia on Thursday, Gabby Shirley of FanDuel Sports Network Florida & Sun reports.
Kucherov left Tuesday's tilt in Carolina after the second period due to his illness and was a no-show at practice Thursday. Kucherov has 28 goals and 64 helpers over 61 appearances this season. Should Kucherov remain out of the lineup, look for Zemgus Girgensons to enter the lineup.
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Lightning's Nikita Kucherov: Misses third period Tuesday
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Kucherov (undisclosed) did not play in the third period of Tuesday's game versus the Hurricanes, Benjamin Pierce of the Lightning's official site reports.
Kucherov was reportedly under the weather earlier in the day, per Gabby Shirley of FanDuel Sports Network Florida & Sun, but it's unclear if that was the reason for his absence to close out the contest, as head coach Jon Cooper did not provide a specific update. Kucherov can be considered day-to-day ahead of Thursday's game in Philadelphia.
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Lightning's Nikita Kucherov: Keeps piling up helpers
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Kucherov put up two assists Thursday in a 6-5 win over Buffalo.
Kucherov has five points (one goal, four assists) in his last two games, and he's been held off the scoresheet just twice in his last 25 games (11 goals, 27 assists). He's only two points from the top of the NHL scoring list. Kucherov has won the Art Ross Trophy twice, most recently in 2023-24. Leon Draisaitl (94) leads the race, with Nathan MacKinnon and Kucherov chasing with 93 and 92 points, respectively.
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Lightning's Nikita Kucherov: Big three-point effort in win
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Kucherov had a goal and two assists in a 6-2 win over Columbus on Tuesday.
Kucherov scored on a breakaway early in the first period after Jake Guentzel sent him a stretch pass from the defensive zone. The 31-year-old Kucherov hit the 90-point mark on the season; it includes 28 goals. He had his 10-game point streak snapped Monday night but continues to keep pace with Leon Draisaitl (92 points) and Nathan MacKinnon (93 points). Elite is elite.
Kucherov picked up a power-play assist Saturday in a 3-1 win over Washington.
It was Kucherov's 60th assist of the season. He's second in the NHL in that category behind Nathan MacKinnon (68). Kucherov's point streak now stands at 10 games and 14 points (five goals, nine helpers). He has 26 shots in that span.
Kucherov scored a power-play goal Thursday in a 3-0 win over the Flames.
The puck simply follows this guy. Kucherov got a massive break when his cross-ice pass from a step off the goal line went in off MacKenzie Weegar's toe. The goal stood as the winner. Kucherov is riding a nine-game, 13-point streak (four goals, nine assists), and he continues to sit third on the NHL scoring list with 86 points (27 goals, 59 assists).
Kucherov put up two assists Tuesday in a 4-1 win over the Oilers.
One came on the power play. Kucherov stretched his scoring streak to eight games and 12 points, including nine helpers. His 59 assists are second-best in the NHL; his 85 points put him third in the league and just two points from the NHL lead. Kucherov won't equal his incredible 144-point season from last year, but he should easily top 100 points for the fifth time in the last seven seasons. He has 185 shots, and 33 of his points have come with the man advantage.
