Nikita Kucherov is poised to join a select group of NHL greats with another stellar performance. The Tampa Bay Lightning’s star forward is on the brink of history. With a goal against the Toronto Maple Leafs, he would become one of only five players in the past 35 years to start a season with at least eight goals in their first five games.
Kucherov’s Historic Pace
Despite the Lightning’s recent loss, Kucherov continues to amaze. His exceptional scoring rate has him on track to join an exclusive club of all-time greats over the last 35 years, including Auston Matthews, Alex Ovechkin, Patrick Marleau, and Mark Parrish. Thus, if he can sustain this level of production, he will undoubtedly cement his legacy as one of the game’s most dominant players. Kucherov has had a spectacular start to the season, posting seven goals, nine points, and a plus-6 rating in just four games. It will be fun to see if he can score against the Leafs and make some NHL history from here.
Currently, he has accumulated 141 points, accounting for more than 50 percent of Tampa Bay’s 280 goals this year. If Kucherov can maintain this scoring rate, he’ll join McDavid, Jagr, Wayne Gretzky, and Mario Lemieux as the only players to do so for a full season. Talk about an impressive list of names!
A Fiery Rivalry
Beyond Kucherov’s individual brilliance, the Lightning-Maple Leafs matchup is always a heated affair. This game was no exception, with tempers flaring and fists flying. The Tampa Bay Lightning fell to the Toronto Maple Leafs by a 5-2 final score on Monday (Oct. 21). It was a tough game for the Bolts, and they will now look to turn things back around when they face off against each other again on Nov. 30. With the Lightning and Maple Leafs being big rivals, physicality naturally escalated as the contest continued.
One of the most notable highlights from the matchup was when Zemgus Girgensons and Max Domi engaged in a spirited fight, adding to the intensity of the contest. After Girgensons threw a hit on Maple Leafs defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Domi immediately confronted the Lightning forward. From there, the two dropped the gloves and kept throwing them after they fell to the ice.
