Nikita Kucherov

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• Lightning's Nikita Kucherov: Will miss regular season

  12/23/2020 •

  Kucherov is set to undergo hip surgery and will miss the entire 2020-21 regular season, Joe Smith of The Athletic reports. Losing Kucherov will be a huge blow for the Lightning's chances of repeating as Stanley Cup champions considering he racked up 33 goals and 52 helpers in 68 games last season. The world-class winger figure to head to long-term injured reserve which will free up $9.5 million worth of cap space for the Bolts. If healthy Steven Stamkos (abdomen) will almost certainly step into Kucherov's spot on the top line.

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• Lightning's Nikita Kucherov: Gets injection in ailing hip

  12/22/2020 •

  Kucherov (hip) received an injection in his hip last week, reports TSN.ca, and could end up on long-term injury reserve if it fails to respond by next week. Oh boy -- that's not the way the Bolts want to get under the salary cap. Kucherov can only go on the LTIR if he misses 10 games or 24 days, and that's a significant proportion of the season if it comes to pass. The Russian sniper has been remarkably durable in his career, missing just four games over the last three years. Kucherov, his agent and the team are keeping this incredibly quiet, so hopefully that's not a sign of greater concern.

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• Lightning's Nikita Kucherov: Dealing with hip problem

  12/21/2020 •

  Kucherov has sustained a hip injury which puts his status for the start of the 2020-21 campaign in doubt, Joe Smith of The Athletic reports. Even with just 56 games this season, Kucherov likely would have pushed for the 30-goal threshold for a sixth consecutive campaign if fully fit. If the winger does miss any time, it could be a significant chunk of the season considering the possibility for a condensed schedule that includes frequent back-to-backs. If Kucherov is unavailable for Opening Night, Steven Stamkos (abdomen) could be an option to move up to the top line if healthy.

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• Lightning's Nikita Kucherov: On four-game point streak

  09/27/2020 •

  Kucherov registered an assist, three shots on goal and four hits in Saturday's 3-2 double-overtime loss to the Stars in Game 5. Kucherov fed Ondrej Palat the puck for a beautiful goal at 4:37 of the second period that saw Palat dangle around Stars goalie Anton Khudobin. The helper extended Kucherov's point streak to four games (one goal, six assists). The Russian winger has produced a magnificent score line of seven tallies, 26 assists, 88 shots and a plus-15 rating through 24 playoff contests.

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• Lightning's Nikita Kucherov: Adds two power-play helpers

  09/26/2020 •

  Kucherov produced a pair of power-play assists, five shots on goal and three hits in Friday's 5-4 overtime win over the Stars in Game 4. Kucherov helped out on tallies by Brayden Point and Yanni Gourde, both in the second period. The two-point effort was Kucherov's third straight. He's accumulated seven goals, 25 helpers, 85 shots and a plus-15 rating through 23 games as the league's leading producer in the playoffs.

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