Nikita Kucherov has been the driving force for Tampa Bay all season, so it’s no surprise that the NHL’s top scorer stepped up this weekend as the Lightning chase a playoff spot.
Following a three-point game against the New York Islanders on Saturday, Kucherov tallied a goal and three assists, becoming the first player in the league to reach 100 points this season, leading Tampa Bay to a 4-1 victory over the New Jersey Devils on Sunday.
“He’s a special, special player and it was never more evident than tonight,” Lightning coach Jon Cooper said. “It was fun to watch.”
Kucherov now leads the NHL with 102 points. Victor Hedman, Brayden Point, and Brandon Hagel benefited from Kucherov’s 62nd, 63rd, and 64th assists of the season, and he added his 38th goal into an empty net. Jonas Johansson made 18 saves, giving Andrei Vasilevskiy a rare day off.
“We all understand where we’re at, and this is crunch time,” Hagel said. “We need to play that way every single night if we want to make the playoffs. If we continue this way, I have no worries.”
With 24 games left in the regular season, the Devils have concerns. They’ve been inconsistent amid injuries, and fans chanted for coach Lindy Ruff to be fired late in the game. The same happened before New Jersey went on a run to set a franchise record for points early last season.
“I take full responsibility,” said Ruff, who received a new contract earlier this season. “We want to win, and we’ve dealt with a lot. Players want to win. I’m responsible for the wins and losses and who gets on the ice.”
Tyler Toffoli scored his 25th goal of the season for the Devils, who are 2-9-1 in the second half of back-to-back games. Akira Schmid, making his first start since Dec. 21, had 23 saves, but he and the Devils were no match for the Lightning’s top line of Point, Hagel, and Kucherov.
After a scoreless first period, Kucherov needed only 4:15 to give the Lightning a 2-0 lead, setting up Hedman’s 10th of the season and Point’s 30th.
Hedman opened the scoring at 1:27, putting in the rebound of Kucherov’s shot. Hagel extended his career-long point streak to 13 games, tied for third longest in franchise history, with an assist on the play.
Point made it 2-0 less than three minutes later with a bad-angle shot after being sent in alone on Schmid. The Devils goaltender initially denied Point a shot, but the center skated around him and banked the puck off Schmid’s leg from below the goal line. It was Point’s fifth goal in six games.
The Devils, who edged Montreal on Saturday, responded with a power-play goal by Toffoli at 6:01. Jack Hughes’ pass hit the skate of Lightning defenseman Darren Raddysh. It went directly to Toffoli for a shot into an open net.
Kucherov now has two consecutive 100-point seasons and four overall.
“He wants to win another Stanley Cup,” Hagel said. “The way he plays, his work ethic, and his forecheck show why he’s performing the way he is.”
The Lightning won back-to-back Stanley Cups in 2020 and 2021.
UP NEXT
- Lightning: Visit Philadelphia on Tuesday.
- Devils: Visit San Jose on Tuesday to start a three-game West Coast trip.
