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Mar 8, 2026; Buffalo, New York, USA; Tampa Bay Lightning right wing Nikita Kucherov (86) celebrates his goal with center Yanni Gourde (37) during the third period against the Buffalo Sabres at KeyBank Center. Mandatory Credit: Timothy T. Ludwig-Imagn Images Timothy T. Ludwig-Imagn Images

Nikita Kucherov Explodes as Lightning Cruise Past Kraken

Originally posted on Breakaway on SI | By Deepanjan Mitra | Last updated Mar 18, 2026 11:30 AM ET

Nikita Kucherov delivered another dominant performance at Climate Pledge Arena. The Tampa Bay Lightning winger collected three goals and two assists in the team's 6-2 victory over the Seattle Kraken, recording his ninth career five-point game while climbing the NHL scoring leaderboard.

The five-point explosion moved him to 111 points on the season with 37 goals and 74 assists. He passed Colorado's Nathan MacKinnon for second place in the league scoring race, trailing only Edmonton's Connor McDavid, who sits at 115 points with games remaining.

Tampa Bay capitalized on Seattle turnovers throughout the contest. The Lightning converted defensive zone mistakes into offensive chances, with Kucherov serving as the primary beneficiary of the Kraken's sloppy puck management and poor coverage assignments.

Historic Company

Kucherov's ninth career five-point game tied him for third most among non-North American skaters in NHL history. Only Jari Kurri with 16 and Peter Stastny with 12 have produced more such performances from players born outside North America.

The Russian superstar also passed Evgeni Malkin for the most five-point games among active players. Kucherov now trails only the Edmonton Oilers captain with 13 and "Nate Dogg" with 11 in that category among current NHL skaters.

A HAT TRICK AND A FIVE-POINT NIGHT!! ⚡

And Nikita Kucherov is now second in scoring with 111 points pic.twitter.com/3GPlTYlHd0
— NHL (@NHL) March 18, 2026

"I've watched that guy get 1,100 points. Well, probably 1,105 now," Tampa Bay coach Jon Cooper said of Kucherov. "So, he's a brilliant player."

Kucherov has already ticked off multiple career milestones this season, including his 700th career assist and crossing 1100 career points.

Seventh Career Hat Trick

The three goals also marked Kucherov's seventh NHL hat trick with an empty-net goal late in the third period. The milestone moved him past Vincent Lecavalier for third most in franchise history, trailing only Steven Stamkos with 13 and Martin St. Louis with eight.

The Lightning winger opened the scoring late in the first period after stripping Ben Meyers of the puck. He soon added to his tally by scoring just 57 seconds into the second frame before capping the hat trick with the empty-netter at 17:16 of the final period.

But Kucherov wasn't the only Lightning star who had a memorable night in Seattle. Linemate Brandon Hagel got to add four points and one assist to his own total, while Anthony Cirelli ended the night with three points and a goal. Gage Goncalves got to have the final goal for Tampa Bay while also giving a helper to Hagel in the third period.

Snapping the Skid

The victory provided some crucial relief for the Lightning, who had lost seven of their previous nine games. Andrei Vasilevskiy continues to be their man between the pipes, as he made 16 saves to snap his personal losing streak as Tampa Bay improved to 41-21-4 on the season.

On the Kraken side, newly acquired Bobby McMann and Jared McCann scored for Seattle in the losing effort. Philipp Grubauer managed to stop 19 of 24 shots, but it just wasn't enough against Kucherov.

This article first appeared on Breakaway on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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