In a matchup with Pittsburgh Penguins superstars Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Phil Kessel, the Tampa Bay Lightning have a burgeoning stud of their own who has put the Bolts in great shape in the Eastern Conference Final.
Nikita Kucherov scored a pair of game-tying goals—his first of the series—to force overtime in Game 5 on Sunday night in Pittsburgh. Then he assisted on the winning score to complete the comeback, helping Tampa Bay grab a 4-3 overtime victory and a 3-2 series lead.
His seven points in the past three games have the Lightning heading back to Tampa on Tuesday with a chance to get to the Stanley Cup Final for a second straight year.
The 2016 playoff goal-scoring leader had been blanked against the Pens in that category through four games, but it was only a matter of time before the speedy 22-year-old broke out. Kucherov has been heating up in the last couple of contests with two assists in both Games 3 and 4.
His pair of goals on Sunday—his 10th and 11th of the postseason—were monumental. They’ve left the Penguins reeling, showing the effects of the lo ...
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Article written by Steve Macfarlane
Red-Hot Nikita Kucherov Puts Lightning in the Driver’s Seat in ECF vs. Penguins
May 22nd, 2016 by Steve Macfarlane Leave a reply »
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