Nikita Kucherov is a real phenomenon. The Russian star forward of the Tampa Bay Lightning is a decoration of modern hockey, who makes you fall in love with his play, technique and thinking, and also constantly surprises with his unconventional actions on the court and crazy performance. When it seems that perfection has already been achieved, Nikita shows that there are no limits to him, and from match to match he gets better.
Kucherov has proven this before. But this season has been more than just amazing for the Russian. Historical.
“This is a different level. The most eventful year of his life. Nikita is a wonderful player,” Tampa head coach John Cooper even exhausted his entire vocabulary during the entire regular season to express admiration for the Russian striker.< br>
In today's match against the Toronto Maple Leafs, which was Tampa's last in the championship, Nikita scored a goal and an assist. Kucherov's pass was the most valuable — it allowed the Russian to reach 100 assists in one NHL season for the first time in his career. It is symbolic that Brayden Point, the main target for Kuch in this championship, scored from this pass. And after the goal, it was not Point who was congratulated, but Nikita, because he became only the fifth player in the history of the league who managed to get one hundred assists in a season. Previously, this achievement was achieved only by Wayne Gretzky (a record 11 times) and Bobby Orr, Mario Lemieux and Connor McDavid (all once).
Main statistics for Nikita's entire hundred assists in the championship: 62 main assists, 38 secondary assists, 40 assists on the power play, 33 assists for Point alone, 26 matches with two or more assists per game, 14 different Tampa players who scored with Kucherov's transmissions. The Russian’s influence on the Lightning’s game and results cannot be overestimated. It is so huge that it is scary to imagine where the team would be without its main forward. And in the “lightning” camp they have repeatedly noted that their entry into the playoffs is entirely thanks to Kucherov.
Throughout almost the entire season, the Russian led and still continues to lead the overall scoring standings of the championship. In 81 matches, Nikita scored an insane 144 points (44 goals and 100 assists). No one has scored so much among Russians in the entire history of the league, nor in the history of Tampa. And speaking across the entire NHL, Kuch posted the 23rd best single-season points record among all players. Only such giants as Gretzky, Lemieux, Steve Yzerman, McDavid, Phil Esposito, Bernie Nicholls, Pat LaFontaine, Mike Bossy and Jaromir Jagr performed more productively. The Russian is truly great. Perhaps we don’t even fully understand how much. He is one of the best hockey players in the world. For some, even the best. And there is no point in arguing with this.
There is practically no doubt that the Art Ross Trophy will go to Nikita at the end of the season. The closest representative of the Russian is Nathan MacKinnon. The Canadian from the Colorado Avalanche is six points behind. He only has one match left to make up this gap. It's hard to believe, considering that the Avalanche will be in a meat grinder with Connor McDavid's Edmonton Oilers.
There is no doubt that Kucherov deserved the overall recognition and won the Most Valuable Player award of the regular season. The Hart Trophy is awarded to the hockey player who has made the greatest contribution to the success of his team. And considering the huge percentage of all Tampa goals scored with the participation of the Russian, Nikita’s contribution was truly impressive. Journalists will decide the fate of the prize. And if the American media makes a choice not in favor of Kucherov just because of how the Russian hockey player behaves in dialogue with the press and how he showed himself at the last NHL All-Star Game, then such hockey experts and observers are worthless. Any reasonable person understands that Nikita is the MVP. No options.
Свежие комментарии