“More important games ahead” – Nikita Kucherov stresses on elevating game as Lightning face Avalanche in Stanley Cup Final
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Nikita Kucherov
Top winger Nikita Kucherov recently spoke about what it meant to advance to the Stanley Cup Final for the third consecutive season. He shed a light on this after the Tampa Bay Lightning clinched a 2-1 series win against the New York Rangers in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Final on Saturday at Amalie Arena.
The Russian ice hockey player Kucherov, who currently leads Tampa Bay with 23 points (seven goals, 16 assists) in 17 games in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, earlier lead the National Hockey League (NHL) with 34 points (seven assists, 27 assists) in 25 playoff games in 2020 and 32 points (eight goals, 24 assists) in 23 playoff games last season.
“It means a lot,” Kucherov said, as quoted by NHL.com. “Not many teams have done that before, and to be one of them is huge. We’re really happy with the result, but we still have more important games ahead.”
“Nikita has been an electrifying player”
The Maykop native Kucherov made his biggest mark during the Lightning’s remarkable run of 11 straight playoff series wins. The 28-year-old even won the Hart Trophy as the NHL’s most valuable player in 2018-19 when he gathered as many as 128 points (41 goals, 87 assists) in 82 games.
“He’s been an electrifying player,” coach Jon Cooper said. “He’s got two Stanley Cup rings. I think when teams go that far each team has those types of players on them, and that’s what ‘Kuch’ is. He’s a unique, special talent, but anytime when you’re the last team standing, there’s a player on each team or maybe two [who is a] game-breaker, and he’s one of them for us.”
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