Getty Nikita Kucherov, Tampa Bay Lightning
Tampa Bay Lightning forward Nikita Kucherov was named the NHL’s First Star for the week ending March 17 after racking up seven points in two games, and he hasn’t shown any signs of slowing down since then.
With four assists in the Lightning’s 4-1 win over the San Jose Sharks on March 21, Kucherov now has 15 points in his past four contests (3 goals, 12 assists), matching his own record for the highest total by a Lightning player in a four-game span; he originally established the mark with five goals and 10 assists over four games from Feb. 12-18, 2019. He also recorded his eighth four-point game of the season to extend his assist streak to 12 games, the longest in Lightning franchise history.
Kucherov Joins Elite Company in Chase of NHL Scoring Title
Kucherov’s four-assist performance against the Sharks was his fourth of the season, the most by any Lightning player in franchise history. Victor Hedman is the only other Lightning player to have three four-assist games in a single campaign, doing so in 2021-22.
Kucherov became the second active NHL player to record at least four four-assist games in a single season, joining Edmonton Oilers center Connor McDavid, who has five. The only other skater to post as many four-assist games in a campaign in the last 30 years is Pittsburgh Penguins legend Mario Lemieux, who had seven in 1995-96.
Kucherov has also hit the 80-assist mark for the third time in his career, previously doing so in 2022-23 and 2018-19. He became the seventh player in NHL history with at least three 80-assist seasons, joining Wayne Gretzky (14), Lemieux (six), Bobby Orr (five), Paul Coffey (four), Adam Oates (three) and Denis Savard (three).
Stop us if you’ve heard this one before. . . @TBLightning forward Nikita Kucherov reached the 80-assist mark in a single season.
Kucherov (41 goals, 81 assists) also joins McDavid as the only other active NHL player to post multiple 120-point seasons; he recorded 128 points en route to capturing the league scoring title in 2018-19. A native of Russia, he also became the fourth player in NHL history born outside of North America to record multiple 120-point seasons, joining Jaromir Jagr (four), Peter Stastny (three) and Jari Kurri (two).
Kucherov Passes MacKinnon in Tightly Contested Art Ross Trophy Race
With 122 points on the season, Kucherov leads all NHL skaters in pursuit of the Art Ross Trophy, awarded annually to the player who leads the league in scoring points at the end of the regular season. Kucherov previously won the award once in 2018-19, the same season he swept the Hart Trophy and Ted Lindsay Award honors as the league’s most valuable player and the most outstanding player as voted by fellow members of the NHL Players’ Association, respectively.
Kucherov is neck and neck with Colorado Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon in the Art Ross Trophy race this season. MacKinnon currently trails Kucherov with 117 points (42 goals, 75 assists), and McDavid is also knocking on the door with 112 points of his own (26 goals, 86 assists).
Whether he wins the Art Ross Trophy or not, it seems inevitable that Kucherov will set a new career high in points this season. Through 68 games, he is just six points shy of his career high of 128 set in 2018-19. He will have a chance to extend his point streak in the Lightning’s next contest, a road matchup against the L.A. Kings on March 23.