Lightning Strikes Twice: Kucherov’s Stellar Weekend Sparks Cup Aspirations

In a thrilling weekend of NHL action, no star shined brighter than Nikita Kucherov, as he led the Tampa Bay Lightning to back-to-back wins, while also becoming the league's first player to reach and surpass the 100-point mark this season.?

Despite leading the league in points (102 at the time of writing), he finds himself in a tight four-way race for the MVP award with Nathan MacKinnon, Auston Matthews, and, of course, Connor McDavid. With the other three players having games in hand over Kucherov, this race is far from over, especially when considering each team’s overall performance throughout the season and the dynamics of award voting.

While having one of the most talented rosters in the league, the Lightning currently find themselves in a wild card position due to their struggles on the road and key injuries to the team’s defensive core. With just twenty-two games left, every matchup holds significance.

Tampa Bay’s turbulent season can be summed up by how their last two weeks went. Starting off on February 13th, the Lightning played spoiler in Brad Marchand’s 1000th game, with a hard-fought 3-2 shootout victory against the Bruins in Boston. Two days later, they followed up with another win against one of the top teams in the NHL, burying the Colorado Avalanche in a 6-3 victory at home.?

Then on Saturday, the Lightning suffered their worst loss in years, a 9-2 thrashing by their in-state rivals, the Florida Panthers. Coincidentally, the last time Tampa Bay allowed nine or more goals in a game was in late 2021, when they lost 9-3 to, you guessed it, the Florida Panthers.?After such a devastating loss, the Lightning wanted nothing more than to bounce back strong and swiftly. Unfortunately, that would have to wait, as they would also lose their next two games.?

On February 19th, they were defeated 4-2 in Canada’s capital by the Ottawa Senators. Surprisingly, against one of the weakest teams in the NHL, Kucherov was held to 0 points (only the 11th time this season he’s been held off the score sheet). Then, on February 22nd, in the USA’s capital, they were defeated 5-3 by a middle-of-the-pack Washington Capitals team.

The entire team understood the assignment as they headed into a weekend of back-to-back road games, knowing it was time to put an end to their slump. On Saturday, they defeated the New York Islanders 4-2, followed by a dominant 4-1 win over the New Jersey Devils the next day.

Kucherov had a hand in all four goals the team scored (1 goal, 3 assists) against the Devils. Of the eight goals scored by Tampa Bay over the weekend, Kucherov was directly involved in seven - achieving an extraordinary goal contribution rate of .875. Sixty games into the season, the Lightning have scored a total of 204 goals and with Kucherov sitting at 102 points, he has been directly involved in half of his team’s entire offence this season.

With just over twenty games remaining for the Lightning, it will be interesting to see if Kucherov can surpass his previous record of 128 points and secure his second MVP award. The last time he had such a remarkable year was in 2018/19, when he won the Hart Memorial Trophy (MVP), Ted Lindsay Award (for the most 'outstanding' player), and Art Ross Trophy (for the most points), while leading the Lightning to a record-tying 62-win season, which earned them the Presidents Trophy (awarded to the team with the best overall record).

However, those happy memories were short-lived, as this powerhouse of a team failed to win even a single game in the playoffs. In what many consider to be one of, if not the biggest upsets in hockey history, the 8th-seed Columbus Blue Jackets swept the Tampa Bay Lightning in four games.?Following that soul-crushing first round exit, the Lightning bounced back emphatically, winning the next two Stanley Cups with three consecutive trips to the finals. Now, with Kucherov performing at such a high level, the Lightning are poised to make another run for the cup.

Perhaps betting experts sense a similar vibe with this squad as the one in 2018/19, with most sportsbooks currently having the Bolts outside of their top twelve favourites to win the Stanley Cup this season. Despite not being a Presidents Trophy contender this year, Tampa Bay still boast the best core in hockey and should not be underestimated in a seven-game series against any team.

For those who enjoyed reading about Kucherov's big weekend, check out my previous article about him where I explore a controversial headline that arose earlier in the season, during the 2024 NHL All-Star Skills competition. Kucherov stole the show and became the talk of the hockey world despite his underwhelming performance during the contest. Click here for the full story.

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