Lightning's Nikita Kucherov: Erupts for six points Thursday
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Kucherov scored a goal and distributed five assists in Thursday's 8-3 win over the Flames.
Kucherov stole a puck and scored on a breakaway in the first period. Over the final two frames, he added his five assists, helping Jake Guentzel to his hat trick while also lending a hand on goals by Brayden Point and Anthony Cirelli. Three of Kucherov's five assists came on the power play. This was one of the best performances of the year for any player, and it gives Kucherov three goals and 12 assists over his last six outings. Overall, the dynamic winger is up to 14 goals, 30 helpers, 90 shots on net and a plus-8 rating through 25 appearances.
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Lightning's Nikita Kucherov: Helps out on lone goal in loss
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Kucherov notched an assist and three shots on goal in Tuesday's 2-1 loss to the Oilers.
Kucherov set up Jake Guentzel's second-period tally. The 31-year-old Kucherov has four points and seven shots on net over two games since he returned from an undisclosed injury, so he doesn't appear to be hindered by the issue anymore. The winger is among the NHL's elite scorers this year with 13 goals, 25 helpers, 89 shots on net and a plus-6 rating across 24 appearances.
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Lightning's Nikita Kucherov: Three points in win
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Kucherov provided a goal and two assists in Sunday's 4-2 win over the Canucks.
Kucherov tied the score at 1-1 in the middle frame, and he added two helpers on the man advantage. The Russian winger added four shots, one block and a plus-1 rating in 22:43 of ice time, as he didn't skip a beat in his return from a two-game absence due to an undisclosed injury. Kucherov has generated two goals and six assists in his last four appearances. The 31-year-old has yet to be held off the scoresheet in back-to-back contests this season, and through 23 appearances, Kucherov leads Tampa Bay in scoring with 13 goals and 37 points.
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Lightning's Nikita Kucherov: Ready to rock
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Kucherov (undisclosed) will play Sunday against Vancouver, per Gabby Shirley of FanDuel Sports Network Florida & Sun.
Following a two-game absence, Kucherov will return to the top line and first power-play unit in Sunday's matchup. He has amassed 12 goals, 34 points and 82 shots on net across 22 appearances this season. With Kucherov back in the fold, Cam Atkinson will be a healthy scratch against the Canucks.
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Lightning's Nikita Kucherov: Out of action Thursday
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Kucherov (undisclosed) won't play versus San Jose on Thursday, Gabby Shirley of FanDuel Sports Network Florida & Sun reports.
Kucherov missed Saturday's game against Toronto, and the Lightning are not taking any chances with their superstar winger as they don't play again until Sunday in Vancouver. Kucherov has 12 goals and 34 points in 22 games after winning the Art Ross Trophy in 2023-24 with 144 points. Gage Goncalves took Kucherov's spot on the top line Saturday alongside Jake Guentzel and Brayden Point, and that scenario is likely to happen Thursday.
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Lightning's Nikita Kucherov: Could practice Wednesday
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Kucherov (undisclosed) is still day-to-day but could practice Wednesday, Erik Erlendsson of LightningInsider.com reports.
If Kucherov can get on the ice with his teammates Wednesday, it should clear the way for him to return to the lineup versus San Jose on Thursday. Still, it's a wait-and-see approach for fantasy players at this point until the Bolts provide more clarification. Jake Guentzel (undisclosed) is also dealing with an undisclosed injury, which could significantly impact the team's first-line options versus San Jose on Thursday if Kucherov is also on the shelf.
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Lightning's Nikita Kucherov: Unavailable Saturday
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Kucherov won't play Saturday versus the Maple Leafs, Gabby Shirley of FanDuel Sports Network Florida & Sun reports.
Kucherov did not take the ice for warmups, indicating that he won't be available to play. Conor Sheary was called up earlier in the day and will likely enter the lineup, though replacing Kucherov will be more of a team effort. The 31-year-old has 34 points through 22 outings this season.
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Lightning's Nikita Kucherov: Three points in Monday's rout
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Kucherov recorded an even-strength goal and two power-play assists in Monday's 8-2 win over the Avalanche.
Kucherov snapped a five-game scoring drought with his goal midway through the first period, and it was his 12th of the campaign. Not content with that, the star winger also set up two goals on the power play, one scored by Jake Guentzel and the other by Brayden Point, to reach 20 helpers this season. The 31-year-old has been on a tear of late, recording points in all but two of his previous 11 games and notching six multi-point efforts in that span.
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Lightning's Nikita Kucherov: Hits 900 career NHL points
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Kucherov had three assists in Thursday's 7-6 overtime loss to Columbus.
Kucherov surpassed 900 NHL points (902; 331 goals, 571 assists) in just 743 games. He's the fourth-fastest player born outside North America and 23rd fastest ever to get to 900 points. Kucherov also took a nasty slash on the hand in the first period. He dropped his stick in visible pain. Fingers crossed there's no lingering issue when he wakes up Friday. That hand will be sore and could affect shooting
Kucherov picked up two assists in a 4-0 win over the Devils on Saturday.
The helpers extended his point streak to seven games (three goals, nine assists). Kucherov is tied with Carolina's Martin Necas for fifth in scoring with 26 points. Kucherov was tied for the league lead in points a few weeks ago. He'll continue to vie for the league-scoring title as the season progresses. Kucherov is only two points from third overall and is an automatic fantasy start.
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Lightning's Nikita Kucherov: Streak at six games, 10 points
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Kucherov picked up an assist Thursday in a 4-1 win over Winnipeg.
He extended his point streak to six games (three goals, seven assists), and he has 24 points, including 11 goals, and 59 shots in 15 games so far. Kucherov has been the model of consistency this season, putting up points in 14 of 15 contests. He sits in the top 10 for both goals and assists, and he's on pace for 131 points, including 60 goals.
Kucherov scored a goal Thursday in a 2-1 shootout loss to the Flyers.
He opened the scoring in the last minute of the first period with a wraparound goal. It was the Bolts' only goal. Kucherov has nine points (three goals, six assists) during a five-game point streak, but we're sure he'd give up that streak to end the Bolts' four-game losing streak.
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Lightning's Nikita Kucherov: Moves into NHL scoring lead
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Kucherov had two assists in a 3-2 loss to the Blues on Tuesday.
He's on a four-game, eight-point streak that includes six assists. Kucherov has moved into the NHL scoring lead with 22 points (10 goals, 12 assists), and he has 50 shots and 10 hits. Seven of his points (one goal, six assists) have come on the power play.
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Lightning's Nikita Kucherov: Goal, assist Sunday
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Kucherov notched a goal and an assist in Sunday's 7-4 defeat to Winnipeg.
Kucherov registered the primary assist on Brayden Point's power-play marker in the opening frame before scoring an unassisted goal in the third period. Kucherov added four shots, three hits and a minus-1 rating in 22:33 of ice time. The star winger has compiled six points during his current three-game point streak, and he's only been held off the scoresheet once through 12 games this season. The Russian forward leads the Lightning in points with 10 goals and 10 assists.
Kucherov notched a power-play assist, eight shots on goal and a minus-3 rating in Friday's 5-3 loss to the Wild.
Kucherov has earned four points over his last two contests after being held off the scoresheet Monday against Nashville. The 31-year-old winger's eight shots were a season high, though he's had four or more shots in six of 11 games. He's up to nine goals, nine assists, 43 shots, a plus-6 rating, six hits and seven blocked shots while seeing reliable time on the first line and top power-play unit.
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Lightning's Nikita Kucherov: Records three points Wednesday
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Kucherov scored a goal and delivered two assists in Wednesday's 5-2 win over the Avalanche.
Kucherov saw his eight-game point streak snapped in the 3-2 win over Nashville on Monday, but the star winger bounced back admirably and notched his fifth multi-point effort of the campaign Wednesday. Reliable both as a scorer and playmaker, the 31-year-old star forward is amid an outstanding start to the campaign with nine goals and eight assists across 10 contests. He's tied for second in goals and tied for fifth in points league-wide.
Kucherov had an assist in a 3-0 win over Washington on Saturday.
Kucherov has eight goals and six helpers during his eight-game point streak to begin the 2024-25 campaign. Unsurprisingly, he ranks among the top scorers in the NHL. Kucherov could be in the running for the Hart Trophy again after finishing as the runner-up last season, but it's very early into the year. Still, his performance has been outstanding, and it's unlikely he will slow down much as the season progresses.
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Lightning's Nikita Kucherov: Top sniper in NHL
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Kucherov scored a goal Thursday in a 4-2 loss to the Wild.
Kucherov remains perfect on the season -- he's put up at least one point in each of Tampa Bay's seven games, and he's wired 30 shots on net. His eight goals (13 points) lead the NHL. Kucherov is already among the best Russian players to don an NHL uniform, and at 31, his game is still on the rise.
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Lightning's Nikita Kucherov: Season scoring streak at six games
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Kucherov had an assist in Tuesday's 8-5 win over the Devils.
It extended his season-opening point streak to six games (seven goals, four assists). Kucherov is already in MVP form with seven goals and five assists in six games played. Expect his pace to slow some and especially his goal rate. Kucherov already has 29 shots, which puts him within reach of a 400-shot season, but his shooting percentage is a whopping 24.1. That's well above his career mark of 14.6. Still, this could be Kucherov's Hart season.
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Lightning's Nikita Kucherov: Point streak at five games
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Kucherov notched an assist, four shots on goal and two hits in Monday's 5-2 loss to the Maple Leafs.
Kucherov's four-game, seven-goal streak came to a close Monday, but he's still yet to be held off the scoresheet over five contests. The winger has 10 points, 26 shots on net, five hits and a plus-6 rating. With just three of his points coming on the power play, he could still grow his offense a little more than we've seen so far.
