Lightning’s Nikita Kucherov extends wild assist streak that’s only topped by Wayne Gretzky

The Tampa Bay Lightning’s Nikita Kucherov is seen as one of the favorites to win what would be his third consecutive Art Ross Trophy considering the season he is having. Kucherov once again starred for the Lightning in their recent 6-3 win over the Minnesota Wild, breaking a major record en route.

With his assist against Minnesota, he reached 80 assists on the season, placing him second all-time in consecutive 80-assist seasons, passing Paul Coffey and Bobby Orr, with only Wayne Gretzky’s 13-season streak ahead of him, per a post on X by Lightning Insider. The assist also contributed to Kucherov becoming just the eighth player in NHL history with four career 120-point seasons.

Through 66 games, he now sits at 40 goals and 80 assists (120 points), leading the NHL in scoring. Kucherov has been on fire throughout the campaign and has had two major stretches.
The first saw him produce 65 points in a 29-game span, with Kucherov also returning with 44 points over another 20-game stretch.

At five-on-five since mid-November, Kucherov holds a plus-43 goal differential, the best mark in the league over that period. Against the Wild, Lightning overcame a 3-1 deficit by scoring five unanswered goals across the second and third periods.

The win improved them to 44-21-5, extending their run to 4-0-1 over their last five games and moving them within two points of first place in the Atlantic Division. Minnesota built a 2-0 lead in the first period via power-play goals, then extended it to 3-1 in the second before Tampa Bay responded.

Goals from Jake Guentzel and Raddysh in a three-minute span tied the game at 3-3 entering the third period, before Erik Cernak capitalized on a misplayed puck by Filip Gustavsson to score the go-ahead goal with 2:53 remaining. Tampa Bay added two empty-net goals to close out the scoring.

The game saw Guentzel produce his 32nd goal of the season and 300th career goal, while Andrei Vasilevskiy recorded 20 saves and an assist.

The post Lightning’s Nikita Kucherov extends wild assist streak that’s only topped by Wayne Gretzky appeared first on ClutchPoints.