Athletistic/Hockey. Coach John Tortorella explained how he tried to hold off Nikita Kucherov in games against Tampa.

In 2019, Columbus, led by Tortorella, beat Tampa Bay 4-0 in the series. Kucherov missed one of the matches through suspension.
“We tried to force Kucherov. He was highly respected and so they did it. Then he was still an immature player and we pressed him, went to power moves. As a result, he received a disqualification. Now he’s matured a lot. Kucherov’s raise was a key moment in Tampa’s return to a series with the Rangers. When it is included in the game, it is very dangerous”, summed up the specialist.

Kucherov has scored 5 points in the last three games of the series against Rangers. Tampa has won all of those games.