The Tampa Bay Lightning’s season ended prematurely as the team was surprisingly eliminated in the first round courtesy of the Montreal Canadiens with a 2-1 Game 7 loss at home last night.
This is the fourth consecutive year that Tampa has lost in the first round as they have not won a playoff series since 2022. This comes after a strong run of playoff form that included three consecutive Stanley Cup finals appearances from 2020-2022. The Lightning won back to back Cups in 2020 and 2021 during this time.
With this core once again failing to deliver down the stretch, the question becomes how much longer the window is for this team to stay in contention. One unthinkable statistic to come out of Sunday’s loss involves star forward Nikita Kucherov and his Game 7 struggles.
Game 7 Has Been a Struggle for Nikita Kucherov
Somehow, Kucherov has somehow failed to record a point in the seven games of his career that have gone the series distance. This is a bizarre stat for such an elite player that has otherwise performed great come playoff time.
However, recent seasons have been a struggle for the 32-year old Russian. He has gone cold in Tampa’s last four playoff series. This matchup was no different as Kucherov went quiet for his standards with just one goal and five assists in seven games.
These average postseason performances of late had not previously been the case for Kucherov. He led his Lightning in production both years they went on to win the Stanley Cup. Over his entire playoff career, he has amassed 54 goals and 123 assists for 177 points in 159 games.
Kucherov’s season was once again strong outside of the playoffs. He recorded 44 goals and 86 assists for 130 points in 76 games. Only the Edmonton Oilers Connor McDavid registered more points than him.
Over the course of his 12 year regular season career all with Tampa, Kucherov has totaled 401 goals and 723 assists for 1,124 points in 879 games as he has made his mark as one of the top players in the modern game.
Tampa Looking to Remain in Contention
After this latest playoff disappointment, the debate begins over whether or not this Lighting team can remain in the mix next season and get back in the Stanley Cup contention conversation.
Considering the team won 50 games and had over 100 points in the standings this past season, that answer would appear to be yes. The group itself still consists of a talented bunch that includes Kucherov, Jake Guentzel, Brandon Hagel, Brayden Point, Anthony Cirelli, Victor Hedman and Andrej Vasilevskiy. Tampa also has the depth to complement their star players with a deep squad full of punch. This is not to mention one of the best coaches in the game Jon Cooper still at the helm of the bench.
With that said as each playoff failure stacks up the prospects to win another Stanley Cup become bleaker. This team is not getting any younger, so now is the time to strike while the iron is hot. GM Julian BriseBois has some major decisions to make this offseason; number one is what to do with top defenseman Darren Raddysh as he is set to be a UFA this summer.
Insane Nikita Kucherov Game 7 Stat Continues After Lightning Playoff Exit