Nikita Kucherov Ties Steven Stamkos for Lightning’s All-Time Scoring Record

The Lightning opened their three-game road trip Tuesday night with a 6-2 win over the defending Western Conference champions in Vegas.

One of the biggest storylines surrounding the team over the past few games has been when and where Nikita Kucherov would break the franchise scoring record held by former captain Steven Stamkos.

Kucherov took another step toward that milestone Tuesday, recording a three-point performance to reach 1,137 career points and tie Stamkos for the franchise lead.

“He’s accumulated a ton of points in his career, that's what he does," said Jon Cooper. "He's a special talent, and guys like him don't come around very often. He's given our fans at home a decade of some pretty awesome performances.”

Kucherov picked up the secondary assist on Brandon Hagel’s power-play goal in the first period before setting up Anthony Cirelli in the second. With the game tied at two, Kucherov chased down the puck and sent a pass to Cirelli in front of the net to give Tampa Bay the lead.

He found the back of the net himself in the third period to tie Stamkos’ record, after stripping defenseman Jeremy Lauzon of the puck at the blue line before scoring on a breakaway to put the Lightning up 6-2.

Kucherov will have another opportunity to claim the franchise scoring record outright when the Lightning continue their road trip in Colorado Friday night before heading to Utah on Saturday.