With two assists in the Lightning's 4-1 win over the Devils today, Nikita Kucherov has beaten all other NHLers to the coveted 100-point mark this season. What could be next for the Bolts' hottest hand?

Tampa Bay Lightning superstar winger Nikita Kucherov continued his blistering pace as an elite point producer Sunday afternoon, registering the primary assist on both of the Bolts’ first two goals against New Jersey to ratchet up his season point total to 100 – making him the first NHLer to reach that plateau this season.

Kucherov has become one of the favorites to win the Art Ross Trophy as the league’s top point-getter, as he now has 63 assists – second only to Edmonton’s Connor McDavid (68 assists) – and 37 goals in 59 games. The 30-year-old Russian is on pace to post 51 goals and 136 points in 81 games this year; those totals would demolish Kucherov’s current career highs of 41 goals and 128 points, both set in the 2018-19 campaign.

The Lightning are starting to slide down the Atlantic Division standings, but none of the blame for that fact can be laid at the feet of Kucherov. Indeed, if Kucherov hadn’t produced the amount of offense he’s produced thus far this year, the Bolts would be well out of the playoff picture. He’s already won an Art Ross in 2018-19, and if he does manage to maintain the lead in points, he’s going to receive justified support to win his second Hart Memorial Trophy as the NHL’s most valuable player. Tampa needs all the offense Kucherov can provide, and the longer he produces at an elite level, the better the Lightning’s chances of avoiding missing out on the playoffs.

In this regular season where offense is on the rise league-wide, there will be many more 100-point players by the end of the year. But Kucherov’s achievement of being the first to hit that mark has to count for something in the macro picture of NHL superstars. As the Lightning’s highest-paid player at $9.5-million per season, much is expected of him, but much is being delivered by Kucherov, and there’s no reason to suspect that will be any different the rest of the way.