Tampa Bay Lightning forward Nikita Kucherov was named the NHL’s First Star for the week ending March 17 after racking up seven points in two games, and he hasn’t shown any signs of slowing down since then.
With four assists in the Lightning’s 4-1 win over the San Jose Sharks on March 21, Kucherov now has 15 points in his past four contests (3 goals, 12 assists), matching his own record for the highest total by a Lightning player in a four-game span; he originally established the mark with five goals and 10 assists over four games from Feb. 12-18, 2019. He also recorded his eighth four-point game of the season to extend his assist streak to 12 games, the longest in Lightning franchise history.
Kucherov Joins Elite Company in Chase of NHL Scoring Title
Kucherov’s four-assist performance against the Sharks was his fourth of the season, the most by any Lightning player in franchise history. Victor Hedman is the only other Lightning player to have three four-assist games in a single campaign, doing so in 2021-22.
Kucherov became the second active NHL player to record at least four four-assist games in a single season, joining Edmonton Oilers center Connor McDavid, who has five. The only other skater to post as many four-assist games in a campaign in the last 30 years is Pittsburgh Penguins legend Mario Lemieux, who had seven in 1995-96.
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