It seems like almost any given night there is an unreal stat line to find across the NHL. Several such performances have come from Tampa Bay Lightning right wing Nikita Kucherov who delivered another stellar showing on Thursday night.
Kucherov tallied five points on a goal and four assists as the Lightning scored four goals in the third period to beat the New York Rangers, 6-3. His first assist of the game gave Kucherov 70 assists on the season, marking his third season with at least 70 assists. He joins Connor McDavid as the only other active player with more than two such seasons.
McDavid leads the league with 81 assists in what is his sixth season with at least 70. Kucherov is tied with Nathan MacKinnon for second with 73 assists. He trails MacKinnon for the NHL’s overall points lead by three (115-112) while McDavid has crept back into the MVP conversation with 106 points.
Kucherov is a point away from matching his 113 points from a season ago. He is on pace to smash his career-high of 128 which came during his Hart Trophy-winning season in 2018-19.
Sharing the spoils
Kucherov had an assist on all three of Brayden Point’s goals as he was outshined by the Lightning center on Thursday. It was Point’s third hat trick of the season as he sits behind Kucherov in scoring for Tampa Bay with 36 goals.
Though he’s been overtaken by MacKinnon in the Hart Trophy race, there is still time for Kucherov to cement his name atop the ballot. His latest stretch is an indication of what he’s capable of as Kucherov has a nine-game point streak and 27 points in 16 games since the All-Star break.
The Lightning aren’t a lock to make the playoffs but as long as Nikita Kucherov plays like this they should have a shot. Tampa is currently in the first wild card spot in the Eastern Conference with a four-point cushion.
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