Athletistic/Hockey. Russian striker Nikita Kucherov scored a hat-trick in a game against Buffalo, which ended in victory for his “Tampa” in overtime (6:5).
The “Lightning” forward provided two assists for Braden Point and scored another point for 2 minutes before the end of regulation time, when the puck after his shot hit Brandon Heigl.
However, Kucherov was also noted for not having the prettiest episodes – from the perspective of Buffalo fans, in one of which he caused a fight at the doorstep of the Sabers.
Here’s how Buffalo fans reacted to the incident on social media:
@JoeDanglez:
– Kucherov is a perfect example that if you are one of the best players in the league, you can be as bad as you want, and at the same time you will always get away with it.
@AnthonyBialy:
– Among truly talented players, there is no more disgusting than Nikita Kucherov.
@BFLOBRED:
– God, how I want to punch Kucherov in the face.
@Ben_Mathewson:
– Kucherov is one of the dirtiest players in the league, so frankly I don’t feel bad when he gets injured. Rough player. It would be cool if the league punished him at least once for such behavior.
@Gregkash:
– How wildly I hate Kucherov! He elbows the goalie in the goalie area and then drops like a smashed man.
@BraytonJWilson:
– Kucherov hits an opponent on the stick, after which he touches his face and is sent off! I do not know what to think.
@flynnjohnj:
– With all Kucherov’s talent, he is one of the dirtiest players in the league.
@Debers16:
– Kucherov will forever remain a “trash” player. Hockey player, so little talked about dirty tricks for some reason.
@SaberBuzz:
– Kucherov deserves to be slapped. It’s a shame to waste a good punch on him.
@SharmanJeffrey:
– Simulating Kucherov must play football!
After collecting 3 assists, Kucherov took the top spot in the list of top assists this season. The Lightning have 86 numbers with 24 assists.
Kucherov, after the game against Buffalo, came out ninth in NHL history for the number of assists in the first 21st game of the season on the wingers. The Russian caught up with Jaromir Jagr, who also provided 24 assists in the 1998/1999 season. Only Rob Brown (25 in the 1988/1989 season), Mikko Rantanen (26 in the 2018/2019 season), Jagr (26 in the 1995/1996 season), Mark Recchi (26 in the 1992/1993 season ), Sergey Makarov (26 during the 1989/1990 season), Michel Goulet (27 during the 1987/1988 season), Mike Bossy (27 during the 1984/1985 season) and Dave Taylor (27 during the 1981 season /1982).
Recall that Kucherov began his professional career in 2009 in the Moscow Youth Hockey League club “Red Army”. On January 24, 2011, he made his KHL debut for CSKA in a match against Dynamo Riga. He played for the Russian national junior team. At the 2011 World Youth Championships in April, he became a bronze medalist, scoring 21 points in 7 games (11 goals, 10 assists; tournament best in goals and points, most points for the tournament in their entire history), was recognized as the best striker of the tournament. On December 23, 2011, he entered the final composition of the Russian junior team to participate in the 2012 World Junior Championship in Calgary and Edmonton.
In the 2011 draft, Kucherov was selected in the second round by the Tampa Bay Lightning. At the same time, there was a rumor that Tampa general manager Steve Yzerman confused Nikita Kucherov with Nikita Nesterov (who was also selected by Tampa in the 5th round). But later in an interview, Yzerman himself denied this rumor, saying that he deliberately chose Kucherov in the 2nd round of the repechage.
Kucherov is the winner of the Art Ross Trophy (NHL, 2019), the Hart Trophy (NHL, 2019), the Ted Lindsay Award (NHL, 2019) and the Kharlamov Trophy (2019). Two-time Stanley Cup winner (2020, 2021) with the Tampa Bay Lightning. He ranks third among current Russian NHL hockey players in points scored in regular NHL championships and third among all Russian NHL hockey players in points scored, number of assists and number of goals (with Sergey Fedorov) in the playoffs.
In the next NHL game, “Tampa” will play away with “Boston”. The meeting will take place on November 30.
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I am Sandra Jackson, a journalist and content creator with extensive experience in the news industry. I have been working in the news media for over five years. During this time, I have worked as an author and editor at various outlets producing high-quality content that attracts readers from different demographics.
