Nikita Kucherov reaches 100 factors on season in Lightning win

NEWARK, N.J. — Nikita Kucherov had a aim and three assists and have become the primary participant within the league to succeed in 100 factors this season in main the Tampa Bay Lightning to a much-needed 4-1 victory over the New Jersey Devils on Sunday.

Kucherov leads the NHL with 102 factors. He reached 100 factors in simply 59 video games, the fewest to take action in Lightning historical past.

“He is a particular, particular participant and it was by no means extra evident than tonight,” Lightning coach Jon Cooper stated. “It was enjoyable to observe.”

Victor Hedman, Brayden Level and Brandon Hagel had been the recipients of Kucherov’s 62nd, 63rd and sixty fourth assists of the season, and he added his thirty eighth aim.

It is the second time in Kucherov’s profession that he has been the primary participant within the league to succeed in 100 factors in a season (outright or tied), having additionally carried out it in 2018-19. Eight others in NHL historical past even have carried out it a number of occasions: Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux, Phil Esposito, Connor McDavid, Jaromir Jagr, Man Lafleur, Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin.

“He will go down as probably the greatest within the NHL,” Hagel stated of Kucherov. “I get the chance to play by his aspect, watch him do that each night time. These are guys I look as much as. These are guys that everybody seems as much as and everybody on this room seems as much as. It is a particular milestone and hats off to him.”

Jonas Johansson made 18 saves in giving Andrei Vasilevskiy a uncommon time without work.

Tyler Toffoli scored his twenty fifth aim of the season for the Devils, who’re 2-9-1 within the second half of back-to-back video games. Akira Schmid, who was making his first begin since Dec. 21, had 23 saves, however he and the Devils had been no match for the Lightning’s high line of Level, Hagel and Kucherov.

After a scoreless opening 20 minutes, Kucherov wanted solely 4:15 to stake the Lightning to a 2-0 lead, establishing Hedman’s tenth aim of the season and Level’s thirtieth.

Hedman, who has been taking part in vital minutes with the protection banged up, gave Tampa Bay a 1-0 lead at 1:27, placing within the rebound of Kucherov’s shot. Hagel bought an help on the play, extending his career-long level streak to 13 video games, tied for third longest in franchise historical past.

Level prolonged the lead rather less than three minutes in a while bad-angle shot after being despatched in alone on Schmid. The Devils goaltender did not give Level a shot, however the heart skated round him after which banged the puck off Schmid’s leg on a shot from under the aim line. It was Level’s fifth aim in six video games.

The Devils, who edged Montreal on Saturday, answered with a power-play aim by Toffoli at 6:01. Jack Hughes was making a move popping out from behind the online and it hit one of many skates of Lightning defenseman Darren Raddysh and went proper to Toffoli for a shot into an open internet.

Kucherov added an empty-net aim late within the third interval to shut out the scoring and add the ending touches on his second straight 100-point season and fourth total. He had three factors Saturday in a win over the Islanders.

Info from ESPN Stats & Info and The Related Press was used on this report.