Nikita Kucherov is putting together another record-setting season as the Tampa Bay Lightning push to secure a playoff spot.
Kucherov’s recent surge is starting to separate him from the rest of the league. With six goals and seven assists over his last four games, he’s moved to the top of the Art Ross Trophy race with 119 points, doing so while playing fewer games than both Connor McDavid and Nathan MacKinnon, who sit second and third.
"It's easy to think, oh, he's just gifted, he's just talented, he just sees the game, but it doesn't come from nothing,” said Lightning defenseman J.J. Moser. “The amount of work he puts in, little details that you probably wouldn't even think about. He knows the way his stick moves from a timing standpoint, when to give the pass. It's all little details that very few people even think about, and he just knows them inside and out."
On Monday, Kucherov was named the NHL’s First Star of the Week, a recognition he’s become familiar with over the course of this season.
The stretch has included some of his most impactful performances of the season: a five-point night against the Seattle Kraken and a four-point outing against McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers. The Lightning collected seven of a possible eight points on their most recent road trip, putting the team back on track heading into the final stretch of the season.
For Tampa Bay, the timing matters. The Lightning sit second in the Atlantic Division with 91 points, four behind the Buffalo Sabres. With roughly 100 points needed to secure a playoff spot, they are just a few wins away from where they want to be.
The Lightning will play their next seven games at home, starting Tuesday when they host the Minnesota Wild. Puck drop is at 7:30pm EST.