Steven Stamkos’ name has sat at the top of the Lightning record book for a long time. On Tuesday night, Nikita Kucherov pulled even.
Kucherov scored in Tampa Bay’s 6-2 win over the Vegas Golden Knights, giving him 1,137 career points and tying Stamkos for the most in franchise history. The milestone goal came early in the third period, when Kucherov forced the puck free from Vegas defenseman Jeremy Lauzon at the Tampa Bay blueline, flashed the kind of slick stick work that has become his signature, and finished past goaltender Carter Hart to the blocker side for the Lightning’s sixth goal.
It was his third point of the night. Earlier, he set up goals by Brandon Hagel and Anthony Cirelli.
The rest of Tampa Bay’s all-time scoring list trails the two stars by a fair margin. Martin St. Louis sits third with 953 points, followed by Vincent Lecavalier at 874 and current defenseman Victor Hedman at 814.
Kucherov has kept rolling this season as well. Through nine games, he has four goals and nine assists for a team-high 13 points. Last season, he delivered 44 goals and 86 assists for 130 points in 76 games and finished that run by winning the Hart Trophy as league MVP.
Tampa Bay drafted Kucherov in the second round in 2011, and his path to this moment started with a quieter first NHL season. In 2013-14, he posted nine goals and nine assists for 18 points in 52 games. From there, he grew into a top-six force alongside Tyler Johnson and Ondrej Palat on the Lightning’s “triplets line.”
By 2016-17, Kucherov had taken another leap and established himself as one of the NHL’s premier offensive players, and he has stayed there ever since.
His career resume already includes two Stanley Cups, two Hart Trophies, and three Art Ross Trophies.
In Other News...
Lightning Fans Just Got A Dylan Larkin Trade What-If
A fresh layer of intrigue has been added to the Dylan Larkin buzz, and Tampa Bay is now part of the conversation. According to a report from The Athletic, the Detroit Red Wings center has broadened the list of NHL teams he would consider, putting the Lightning in the mix as a possible landing spot if the situation ever moved from speculation to something more concrete.
For a Tampa Bay team that is always looking to stay in the contender lane, the fit is easy to imagine on paper. Larkin would bring another high-end center option into the picture, but any real pursuit would come with the usual complications of a player with his stature and market value, leaving plenty of questions about how realistic a move like this could actually be. [Read more 🡒]
Lightning Suddenly Have A Cirelli Problem They Cant Ignore
Anthony Cirellis night ended early against Vegas, and Tampa Bay immediately felt the ripple effect. He left after the second period in the win over the Golden Knights, though it was not clear when the injury happened, and his absence forced the Lightning to shuffle their forward group and lean more heavily on other centers for ice time.
For a team that has tried to keep its lines balanced, losing Cirelli even temporarily creates an obvious wrinkle. Tampa Bay may have to look internally for help, with Dominic James or Scott Sabourin among the forwards the club could activate to cover the opening while it waits for more clarity on Cirellis status. [Read more 🡒]
Kucherov Hit A Huge Lightning Milestone In Statement Win Over Vegas
Nikita Kucherov kept adding to his place in Lightning history on a night Tampa Bay needed a statement. He scored a goal and finished with three points as the Lightning took down the Vegas Golden Knights, giving the veteran winger another signature performance in a game with real weight for the team.
The bigger picture for Tampa Bay is what Kucherovs night meant in the record book, even if the milestone itself was only part of the story. Andrei Vasilevskiy also turned in a strong outing in net to backstop the win, giving the Lightning a performance that checked every box and left the franchise marker hanging over the night. [Read more 🡒]