{"id":493665,"date":"2026-03-08T20:17:25","date_gmt":"2026-03-08T20:17:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/493665\/"},"modified":"2026-03-08T20:17:25","modified_gmt":"2026-03-08T20:17:25","slug":"tampa-bay-lightning-celebrate-stars-milestone-poetry-on-ice","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/493665\/","title":{"rendered":"Tampa Bay Lightning celebrate star’s milestone, ‘poetry on ice’"},"content":{"rendered":"

Right winger Nikita Kucherov has led the NHL in scoring three times during his 12-year career with the Tampa Bay Lightning<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The Russian star took home the Art Ross Trophy, which goes to the league\u2019s top scorer, in each of the past two seasons. It appears he is poised for yet another run at the title.<\/p>\n

Kucherov passed out four assists Saturday as the Lightning snapped a four-game skid with a 5-2 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs. The four points pushed Kucherov\u2019s 2025-26 total to 100 points. That marks his fourth consecutive triple-digit-point season and the sixth of his career.<\/p>\n

The NHL<\/a> <\/a>and Tampa Bay<\/a> took to their X accounts to celebrate Kucherov\u2019s accomplishment.<\/p>\n

After a slow start, Kucherov has been charging up the NHL points leaderboard since Thanksgiving. He trails only Connor McDavid of the Edmonton Oilers (106) and Nathan MacKinnon of the Colorado Avalanche (103). Kucherov has 32 goals and 68 assists in 57 games for the Atlantic Division-leading Lightning.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s like poetry on ice watching him play,\u201d Tampa Bay head coach Jon Cooper said, per NHL.com<\/a>. \u201cHe sees things other guys don\u2019t. I\u2019ve been fortunate to have a front row seat to it for almost a decade.\u201d<\/p>\n

Against the Maple Leafs, Tampa Bay got a goal from Corey Perry in his first game back with the team following a deadline deal with the Los Angeles Kings. Anthony Cirelli, Jake Guentzel, Brandon Hagel and Brayden Point added two points apiece.<\/p>\n

Tampa Bay faces off with the surging Buffalo Sabres on the road at 6 p.m. ET Sunday. The teams are tied for first place in the division with 82 points, although the Lightning have two games in hand.<\/p>\n

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