The Florida Panthers ousted the Tampa Bay Lightning in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs in five games. It was a disappointing end to the Lightning's season. They finished the regular season with one of the best goal differentials in the league and a strong contender to win it all in 2025.
A massive reason the Lightning were eliminated was the play of superstar forward Nikita Kucherov. The regular season's most productive forward fell silent in the Battle of Florida, failing to record a goal in the series. Furthermore, this is now the second straight postseason he's been held goalless.
A disturbing trend has emerged in Kucherov's career. Winning the Art Ross Trophy is a death sentence for the Lightning. In all three seasons he's produced the most points in the NHL, he's been held without a goal in the postseason, and the Lightning were eliminated in the opening round.
To fuel even more panic, Kucherov was held off the scoresheet entirely in three of the five games against the Panthers. It's a drastic departure from his consistent scoring form. During the regular season, there were two occasions when he was held pointless in consecutive games. There was a two-game stretch in January and another two-game stretch in March. Aside from that, he never went more than one game without recording a point. In total, Kucherov recorded at least a point in 65 out of the 78 regular-season games he played in.
What makes this even more outrageous is how strong of a playoff performer Kucherov has established himself to be. The two-time Stanley Cup champion has recorded an astounding 53 goals and 171 points in 152 postseason contests, ranking 21st all-time and third among active NHL players.
Heading into the offseason, an adjustment must be made. The Lightning had an excellent chance to go on a long playoff run, but their best players came up short. It doesn't fall entirely on Kucherov, but he must find a way to shake off his postseason demons to get the Lightning back in Stanley Cup contention.
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