Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports

Kucherov Eclipses 100 Points, Remains Hart Trophy Contender

Originally posted on The Hockey Writers | By Nick Haydon | Last updated 2/26/24

Nikita Kucherov scored his 38th goal and added three assists to reach 102 points and lead the Tampa Bay Lightning past the New Jersey Devils 4-1 on Sunday (Feb. 25). His 100th point came as an assist on Brayden Point’s 30th goal of the season.

Kucherov surpassed the 100-point mark in 59 games this season, the fastest in Lightning history. He also assisted on Victor Hedman’s goal to open the game and set up Brandon Hagel for his 22nd goal. Heading into the game, Kucherov had 98 points, two more than forward Nathan MacKinnon and nine more than Connor McDavid.

With 102 points in 59 games, Kucherov is averaging 1.73 points per game – the highest since he entered the league in 2013-14. At this pace, he will notch 140 points in 81 games (he missed one game in November due to illness).

Kucherov Making Strong Case for Hart Trophy

Given Kucherov’s most recent in-season milestone, his name is becoming tougher and tougher to ignore when considering the Hart Trophy. The Lightning have struggled to remain consistent this season and have relied on his consistent scoring to keep them in playoff contention. How important and impressive is his scoring? Even if Kucherov had not scored any goals this season, his 64 assists alone would still lead the Lightning in points (Point is second on the team with 62).

Even as Auston Matthews pushes his way into the Hart Trophy conversation with 52 goals in 56 games, Kucherov refuses to be outdone. He is demanding attention. If the Lightning make the playoffs with Kucherov leading the league in scoring and setting new career records, then it will be tough not to consider him as the most valuable player to his team.

This article first appeared on The Hockey Writers and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: