Last night, the surging Tampa Bay Lightning recorded their seventh victory in their last eight games, beating the Atlantic Division leader Boston Bruins (3-1). The winning goal was scored by Canadian forward Brayden Point, who distinguished himself midway through the second half, while the final score was scored by Russian forward Nikita Kucherov.
Kucherov, 30, hit the Bruins’ empty net in the final minute of the third period, scoring his 42nd goal of the NHL season. Interestingly, the Russian’s last five goals came in a similar game setup. In total, this season Kucherov scored seven empty-net goals, the same amount as in the previous three championships (within the regular season).
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Nikita Kucherov updated his personal record for goals in an NHL season
Today’s goal helped Nikita reach the 42-goal mark in the NHL regular season for the first time in his career. The NHL’s career scoring leader set a new career-high for goals in a season (previously 41 in 82 games, 2018/2019). Kucherov has 10 championship matches left to raise his sniping bar even higher. But Nikita’s main individual task is to maintain the lead in the scoring race.
After today’s goal against the Bruins, the Russian has 124 points (42+82) in 71 games. The Lightning forward clearly once again occupies first place in the scoring race, but his advantage over his two pursuers is minimal. In second place is Colorado Avalanche forward Nathan MacKinnon with 123 (45+78) points in 72 games. Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid is third with 119 points (26+93) in 68 games.
No.PlayerMatchesGlassesHow much time is left to play?1Kucherov71124 (42+82)102McKinnon72123 (45+78)103McDavid68119 (26+93)12
The situation in the NHL scoring race changes dynamically depending on the results of each game. And making far-reaching forecasts here is the most thankless task. Kucherov himself recently played two super games with the Rangers (1+4) and Vegas (1+3), but he interrupted his record 13-game streak where it was least expected: in a game with one, Anaheim is one of the main ones. outsiders of the NHL season. It was difficult to imagine such a scenario for the development of events.
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Kucherov will break one of the main records of the Russian NHL. He is already among the top 3 in the ranking.
In turn, its competitors have recently demonstrated even higher performance than the Russian. The Colorado forward has a remarkable 19-point streak under his belt. The form of the Avalanche leader is astonishing, and an added advantage for the Canadian hockey player is the fact that of the remaining 10 regular season games, six of the Avalanche will be played at home.
This is an important factor of the season, because in the current regular season Nathan has a historic scoring streak in home games. MacKinnon scored points in all 35 Avalanche home games (77 stretch points, 29 goals, 48 assists). His streak is the second-longest in league history (both since the start of the season and at any point during the season).
In the 1988/1989 season, Wayne Gretzky set an absolute record, scoring points in all 40 home games for Los Angeles in the regular season (then its duration was 80 games). If Nathan gets points from his remaining six home games, he will set a record that future generations can only match, but not surpass, unless there is another change to the league format that results in an increase in the length of the league. regular competition. season.
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Kucherov is not recognized as the best player of the NHL season. Even if he gets Tampa to the playoffs
The Canadian forward from Colorado has never won the Art Ross Trophy in his career, which cannot be said for his compatriot from Edmonton. The award for the best scorer of the regular season was included in the Oilers captain’s home collection. At 27 years old, the Canadian forward had already won it five times, including the last three seasons.
The start of the current championship was unsuccessful for Connor for various reasons, and at some point in the regular season his gap with the team of Kucherov and MacKinnon exceeded two dozen points. But lately, it’s been McDavid who has shown the most impressive scoring pace, consistently producing 2+ point games. In the last five matches, Connor scored 13 effective actions, thanks to which he was almost close to Nikita and Nathan.
Now his difference with the Russian is five points, but the Canadian forward has two more games left. On the one hand, before the end of the season, Edmonton and Colorado will meet two more times, and the last direct confrontation was not very successful for either the Oilers leader or his Avalanche competitor. Connor came off the ice with no points and Nathan recorded an assist.
But, firstly, there is no game after game, and secondly, until the end of the season, the Oilers only have to meet teams from their Western Conference, which is a real gift for Connor, who has won a great condition. So the final showdown for the Art Ross Trophy will be serious.
