NHL Allstar weekend kicks off on Thursday, February 1st.

Nikita Kucherov heads to Toronto this week to represent the Tampa Bay Lightning, in what will be his fifth career NHL Allstar weekend on Feb. 1-3 at Scotiabank Arena. The All-Star Game will feature a four-team tournament with the two semifinal winners playing in the championship game. 

Kucherov was recognized as the NHL First Star of the Week for the week ending January 28th, 2024. His 4 goals and 5 assists in 3 games, all resulted in wins for the Lightning, helping the team add necessary points in their race for a playoff spot.

The 2018-19 Hart Trophy Winner is currently the league’s leading scorer, with 85 points heading into the break. He's in an exciting race with Colorado’s Nathan MacKinnon, who is having a remarkable season himself. The two players continue to trade the top spot out on any given night. With 32 goals through his first 49 games, Kucherov is on pace to top his career high of 41 points.

“It's been an evolution and it's not just this year, it's been every year, adding to his various ways that he can contribute to us winning,” said Lightning GM Julien BriseBois.

“He's one of the key leaders on our team now. That's why Coop put the A on his jersey, and every day he is finding different ways to help pull our group forward.”