'Obviously, I Knew' — Kucherov Takes Back Scoring Lead Without Breaking A Sweat

Nikita Kucherov (temporarily) took over the scoring lead on Wednesday night, after he picked up three assists in a 4-1 win against the Maple Leafs. But the three-man race for the Art Ross Trophy is still very much up for grabs.

Tampa Bay’s Kucherov, who has basically led all season long, is first with 130 points in 74 games. Colorado’s Nathan MacKinnon is second with 127 points in 75 games, followed by Edmonton’s Connor McDavid with 126 points in 71 games. 

It’s rarely this close this late into the year. It’s also rare that the guy who is leading the league in points isn’t considered by many to be a top-3 favourite to win the Hart Trophy as league MVP.

Then again, Kucherov could not be more different than MacKinnon and McDavid — or even Auston Matthews, who scored his league-leading 63rd goal on Wednesday, for that matter.

McDavid flies around the ice at speeds suitable for suburban driving. MacKinnon charges around like a bull. Kucherov, meanwhile, looks like he’s barely breaking a sweat — and not just when he's looking bored at the All-Star Game.

Why move when you know where the puck’s going to be?

“You know, the players who do that are the guys that are really smart,” said Tampa Bay Lightning coach Jon Cooper. 

Against the Leafs, Kucherov was everywhere all at once. On Tampa Bay’s first goal, he came on the ice as the extra attacker on a delayed penalty and set up a play that led to Viktor Hedman getting the puck alone in the slot for a wrist shot. On his second assist, Kucherov was deftly corralled the puck on the end boards and made a one-touch pass  to a wide-open Brayden Point for his 43rd goal. A secondary assist on Nick Paul’s goal in the third period put the game out of reach.

Paul called Kucherov “magical.” Brandon Hagel said he’s been “one of the best in the world since this all started.”

This all started for Kucherov back in 2013. Only McDavid has more points per game (1.52) than Kucherov (1.20) in the past 11 seasons. With three points on Wednesday, Kucherov broke the Lightning’s previous record for most points in a single season. The previous record holder was Kucherov, who won the Art Ross Trophy — and the Hart Trophy — with 128 points in 2018-19. 

“Obviously, I knew,” said Kucherov, when told that he broke his own record. “It felt good. It felt even better that we got the W. I’m happy.”

Those two points matter. Tampa Bay, which is holding down the first wild card spot, is now only four points back of the Leafs for third place in the Atlantic. Since the trade deadline, when the Lightning picked up winger Anthony Duclair and defenseman Matt Dumba, the Lightning has gone on a 9-1-1 run, and in the process has quickly become the team no one wants to face in the playoffs — especially if Kucherov, who has picked up 20 points in the past 11 games, remains this hot. 

Even on a team as stacked offensively as Tampa Bay is, Kucherov has set himself apart from the rest. He now has 47 more points than the team’s next-highest scorer. He also more assists (88) than Brayden Point or Steven Stamkos have points.

“You kind of watch him play and try to do what he does in practice and it looks nothing like what he’s doing out there. And he’s doing it in a game,” said Paul. “His vision, his skating, his hands, his deception — you name it — you just watch him play and it’s crazy. That is a rim-down and he one-touches it off the wall, little toe drag around to (Point), another toe drag pass back to the net. Like, you don’t see that every night and he’s making those plays all over the ice, so he’s a special player.”

This is Kucherov’s fourth 100-point season in the past seven seasons. One of those years, he missed the entire 2020-21 regular season, only to return in the playoffs where he had 32 points in 23 games — a 114-point pace.“

He continues to do it year-in and year-out,” said Hagel. “It doesn’t get talked about a lot, but I don’t know how many times he’s had 100 points — and he probably could have done it again if he didn’t miss a full season and then led the playoffs in points and won a Stanley Cup. He’s done it all … and he continues to do it every single year.”

Last year, was a bit of an exception. While Kucherov still had 113 points, the Lightning’s run of back-to-back-back trip to the final ended with a first-round loss to the Leafs. Kucherov had six points in the six-game series, but was held off the scoresheet in the final two games. The early exit obviously left a mark on Kucherov. 

Seven days after the Lightning were defeated, Hagel said Kucherov was back skating. During the summer, Paul said Kucherov was taking “hundreds and hundreds of pucks off the boards ever single day.” 

“You can’t be that way unless you have an internal drive,” said Cooper. “He’s a marvel to watch.”

The hard work appears to be paying off. Kucherov was always elite. But this year, he has somehow managed to raise the bar even higher. And with the playoffs looming, there appears to be another level he wants to get to.

When asked if he is comfortable with his game heading into the playoffs, Kucherov said: “Sure.”

Is this the most confident he’s ever felt?

“No,” said Kucherov. “I can still be a lot better. A lot of guys in this room can be a lot better. Hopefully we will be better.”