It is unknown where Tampa Bay would be now if not for the exploits of Nikita Kucherov, who continues to carry the team from Florida. So in the next match, the brilliant performance of the Russian forward helped the Lightning get an important victory.

True, the team did not notice this.

Incredible performance

At the beginning of the road game against the Calgary Flames, it seemed that John Cooper’s squad would have a very difficult time. With the second shot on target, the hosts took the lead. Jonathan Huberdeau punished the Lightning with a quick counterattack.

But Tampa had no problem turning the game around. Kucherov led the team. Nikita scored the puck on a fast break towards the end of the first period, beating Daniel Vladarz in close combat. The second segment was an assistive benefit for the Russian forward, who took part in three goals for the guests.

By the break, the Lights had reduced the gap to a minimum. It seemed that a stubborn fight awaited the spectators in the third period, but already in the 43rd second Brandon Hagel strengthened the Lightning’s advantage. With the score 5:3, Kucherov also demonstrated excellent defensive skills, washing away the haters who often criticize him for playing defense. He returned from the opposing half and robbed Mikael Backlund, and then immediately organized a scoring attack.

Before the final siren, Nikita also showed up as an assistant. This helped the Lightning to a big victory with a score of 8:3. Tampa retained its place in the playoff zone, sitting in seventh place at the end of the game day.

Nikita Kucherov / Photo: © Grant Halverson / Freelancer / Getty Images Sport / Gettyimages.ru

“We didn’t know Nikita had so many points”

Kucherov scores six points in one match for the second time in his career. This is a repetition of not only his own best achievement, but also the team’s record. Brayden Point and Doug Crossman scored the same amount, but they only did it once each.

Three assists in the second 20 minutes helped him update the team record for the number of periods with three points – 25. The Russian forward also rewrote his own achievements in matches with 4+ and 5+ points. Now these records are equal to 31 and 7 matches, respectively.

In 2024, Tampa players literally burst into games with five assists. Darren Reddish achieved this achievement in March, and Hagel in November. Now it’s Kucherov’s turn. Only Marc Recchi and Martin St. Louis had five assists each for Tampa Bay through 2024.

The most surprising thing is that all these achievements did not make Nikita the main contender for recognition by his comrades after the final siren. They chose Jack Gunzel as the hero of the match, who scored a hat-trick. But the American objected to his partners, correctly noting the Russian’s contribution.

— We talked about who will receive the title of player of the match. Someone immediately said: “Güntzel scored a hat-trick, give it to him.” Then Jack immediately said: “No, it has to be Kucherov because he has six points. We didn’t know Nikita had so many points. We ruined everything,” Sportsnet columnist Eric Francis reports John Cooper as saying.

High performance in the game with Calgary helped Kucherov rise to second place in the list of top scorers in the league. Naturally, he also gained more whists in the race for the Hart Trophy for the most valuable player of the regular season.