This page may contain affiliate links. If you click and sign up, make a deposit, or place a wager, we may earn a commission at no additional cost to you.
Lightning's Nikita Kucherov: Expected to play Tuesday
Rotowire
Kucherov (illness) is set to be in the lineup versus the Canadiens on Tuesday, Eduardo A. Encina of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
Kucherov missed two games while under the weather. The 32-year-old superstar should be good for his usual top-six role and power-play time. He racked up six goals and nine assists over the six games prior to his absence.
Kucherov (illness) will be a game-time decision versus the Canadiens on Tuesday, Eric Engels of Sportsnet reports.
Kucherov has been out of action for the Bolts' last two games due to his illness, but he seems to be trending in the right direction. Assuming the 32-year-old winger does suit up, he figures to retake his spot on the first line in addition to slotting back in with the No. 1 power-play unit.
... See More... See Less
Lightning's Nikita Kucherov: Unavailable Sunday
Rotowire
Kucherov (illness) won't play against Nashville on Sunday, according to Benjamin Pierce of the Lightning's official site.
Kucherov was not on the ice for pregame warmups and will miss his second straight game. He has accumulated 40 goals, 121 points and 205 shots on net across 67 appearances this season. Kucherov's next opportunity to play will come against Montreal on Tuesday.
... See More... See Less
Lightning's Nikita Kucherov: Not playing Saturday
Rotowire
Kucherov (illness) won't play against Ottawa on Saturday, Eduardo A. Encina of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
Kucherov and Nick Paul (illness) were late scratches for the Lightning ahead of Saturday's matchup. The 32-year-old Kucherov has amassed 40 goals, 121 points and 205 shots on net across 67 appearances this season. Kucherov will miss at least one game, but it's unclear if he will be available to play against Nashville on Sunday.
... See More... See Less
Lightning's Nikita Kucherov: Among elite company
Rotowire
Kucherov delivered an assist Tuesday in a 6-3 win over the Wild.
Not only does he lead the NHL in scoring with 40 goals and 80 assists in 66 games, but he is only the eighth player in NHL history with at least four career 120-point regular seasons. He's on an impressive list with Wayne Gretzky (14), Mario Lemieux (eight), Marcel Dionne (six), Phil Esposito (six), Guy Lafleur (five), Jaromir Jagr (four) and Bobby Orr (four). Kucherov is on a five-game, 14-point scoring streak (six goals, eight assists).
... See More... See Less
Lightning's Nikita Kucherov: Another huge game in win
Rotowire
Kucherov scored twice on seven shots, dished two assists, added two PIM and went plus-3 in Saturday's 5-2 win over the Oilers.
There aren't many things Kucherov has left to do in his career, but he achieved one of them with his first-ever shorthanded goal and point when he scored at 16:58 of the second period. He was on the ice on the penalty kill after the expiration of his own tripping penalty. That tally also stood as his seventh game-winner of the campaign. Kucherov is on a heater on the road with at least three points in five straight contests away from Benchmark International Arena. The superstar winger has reached the 40-goal mark for the fourth time in his career, putting his career high of 44 tallies from the 2023-24 regular season in the crosshairs. He's at 118 points (34 on the power play), 198 shots on net, 44 PIM and a plus-44 rating through 64 outings this campaign.
... See More... See Less
Lightning's Nikita Kucherov: Three more points in win
Rotowire
Kucherov scored a goal on three shots, added two assists and went plus-4 in Thursday's 6-2 win over the Canucks.
Kucherov did all his damage at even strength in this contest. He's earned eight points over the first two games of the Lightning's road trip in the Pacific Northwest. The 32-year-old superstar is up to 38 goals, 114 points (33 on the power play), 191 shots on net, 33 hits, 43 PIM and a plus-41 rating across 63 appearances.
... See More... See Less
Lightning's Nikita Kucherov: Pops off for five points
Rotowire
Kucherov scored three goals on seven shots, added two assists and went plus-3 in Tuesday's 6-2 win over the Kraken.
Kucherov saw a four-game point streak snapped Saturday versus the Hurricanes. He wasted no time in setting the foundation for a new streak, scoring in each period Tuesday and adding a pair of helpers in the third frame, including one on the power play. This was Kucherov's second five-point effort of the campaign, and he's had eight games of at least four points. The superstar winger is up to 37 tallies, 74 assists, 33 power-play points, 188 shots on net and a plus-37 rating through 62 appearances. With Tuesday's effort, Kucherov (111 points) passed Nathan MacKinnon (110) for second in the league behind Connor McDavid (115). Kucherov has played seven fewer games than McDavid and three fewer than MacKinnon to lead the NHL in points per game at 1.79.
... See More... See Less
Lightning's Nikita Kucherov: Hits 1,100 point plateau in win
Rotowire
Kucherov put up two assists in a 4-1 win over Detroit on Thursday.
Kucherov has 10 points (two goals, eight assists) during a four-game streak. He reached the 1,100 point plateau with the points; he did it in 863 career games. Kucherov is the 14th player born outside of North America to reach the 1,100-point milestone and the fourth fastest on that list to do it. He's in heady company behind Peter Stastny (793 games), Jari Kurri (824 games) and Jaromir Jagr (825 games).
... See More... See Less
Lightning's Nikita Kucherov: Three points in loss
Rotowire
Kucherov recorded two goals, including one on the power play, and added an assist in Sunday's 8-7 loss to the Sabres.
Kucherov was coming off a four-assist performance in the Lightning's 5-2 win over the Maple Leafs on Saturday, and the star winger remains on a scorching-hot trail of late. Kucherov has cracked the scoresheet in all but two of his last 17 appearances, recording 10 multi-point performances and earning 36 points (11 goals, 25 helpers) over that prolific stretch.
... See More... See Less
Lightning's Nikita Kucherov: Four straight 100-point seasons
Rotowire
Kucherov had four assists in a 5-2 win over Toronto on Saturday.
Kucherov has four consecutive 100-point regular seasons and six in his career. He's among elite company. Kucherov is tied with Leon Draisaitl (four from 2021-22 to 2024-25) for the third-most among players born and trained outside of North America. Peter Stastny delivered 100 points six seasons in a row (1980-81 to 1985-86), and Jari Kurri hit the century mark five seasons in a row (1982-83 to 1986-87). Kucherov sits third in the NHL in points this campaign, but his 1.75 points per game is the best in the league.
... See More... See Less
Lightning's Nikita Kucherov: Nets lone goal in loss
Rotowire
Kucherov scored a goal in Tuesday's 5-1 loss to the Wild.
Kucherov's 12-game point streak ended versus the Sabres on Saturday. In this contest, he was the only Tampa Bay skater to solve Filip Gustavsson and the Wild's defense. Kucherov is up to 32 goals, 96 points, 165 shots on net and a plus-31 rating over 55 appearances. Even at 32 years old, he's still one of the best wingers in the league and is showing no signs of slowing down.
... See More... See Less
Lightning's Nikita Kucherov: Extends point streak to 12 games
Rotowire
Kucherov scored a goal on two shots and added two PIM in Thursday's 5-4 loss to the Hurricanes.
Given his recent production, a single goal is a bit of a light output for Kucherov. He has eight goals and 20 helpers over 12 contests during his current point streak, and he's been held off the scoresheet just once in his last 23 games. The superstar winger is at 31 goals, 95 points, 160 shots on net, 38 PIM and a plus-33 rating through 53 appearances this season.
... See More... See Less
Lightning's Nikita Kucherov: Records 700th assist
Rotowire
Kucherov scored a goal, recorded two assists, put two shots on net and tallied two blocked shots in Wednesday's 4-2 win over Toronto.
Kucherov's three-point outing was highlighted by a primary assist on the team's second goal in less than 60 seconds, which became No. 700 in his career. With Wednesday's strong performance, the 32-year-old winger is up to 30 goals, 64 assists and 158 shots on goal across 52 games this season. Kucherov's trio of points brought his point total up to 27 during his 11-game point streak. He's on the heels of Connor McDavid in the race for the Art Ross Trophy, and given Kucherov's hot streak of 51 points across his last 21 games, he should stay at the heart of the conversation until the end of the regular season.
Lightning's Nikita Kucherov: Streak at 10 games, 24 points
Rotowire
Kucherov picked up an assist Thursday in a 6-1 win over the Panthers.
Kucherov's apple extended his point streak to 10 games (six goals, 18 assists). The veteran winger is a generational talent. He is just nine points from the century mark and has done it in just 51 games (91 points), which would mark his fourth straight season reaching that threshold.
... See More... See Less
Lightning's Nikita Kucherov: Third four-point game in last five
Rotowire
Kucherov had a goal and three assists in a 4-3 win over the Sabres on Tuesday.
It was Kucherov's second-straight four-point game and third in his last five games. He extended his point streak to nine games and 23 points (six goals, 17 assists). Kucherov is third in the NHL in points (90) behind Connor McDavid and Nathan MacKinnon, but he's first in points-per-game (1.80).
0:36
0:36
0:35
0:54
0:57
0:51
0:29
0:25
0:42
0:00
