Athletistic/Hockey. Nikita Kucherov became the NHL’s top scorer during the regular season. However, the hockey player did not shine at the start of the playoffs.

For most of the first game against Florida, the Russian forward from Tampa remained in the shadows, only showing his playmaking qualities in the end.

Already in the starting period, Kucherov was greeted unkindly by Panthers forward Vladimir Tarasenko, making it clear to his compatriot that no one would do the ceremony with him.

At the end of the match, when the Lightning tried to send the match to overtime, Nikita made several nice passes to his partners, but only one pass to Steven Stamkos was effective. Granted, this happened 9 seconds before the buzzer, and the Lightning needed one more puck to get a tie.

Here’s how American hockey fans rated Kucherov’s game on social media:

@813Drew:
– Almost the entire match, Kucherov and Point looked as terrible as possible. If this continues, Tampa won’t have a chance.

@NightmareAlt:
– I would like to file a report with the police regarding a missing person on Sunday afternoon. His name is Nikita Kucherov.

@ECloskyWTSP:
– “Florida” closed well, especially in the moments when Kuch appeared on the field.

@shaunbowm:
“The Panthers closed Kucherov tightly, played very tight with him and didn’t give him any space. They gave the rest of Tampa’s players more freedom, but Kuch just wasn’t having it.

@AW19_EagleFlys:
– Ha-ha, and this man is called the most valuable player of the season by Tampa fans!

@justingiamp:
– Kuch doesn’t play defense very well. Besides, it is only because of his mediocre defensive play (not average, but bad) that he will not receive the title of MVP of the season. There will never be a bigger heist in Hart Trophy history than this one.

@nhl_taylor:
– At least Kuch was able to ensure that the ESPN analysts, who predicted 0 points for him in the first 2 matches, were wrong.

@Hab_A_Cold_One:
– About the episode where Tarasenko hit Kucherov, we can only say one thing: these are the playoffs, so we have to play against the MVP of the season.

@imralanyrx:
– “Florida” simply extinguished the entire Kucherov connection.

@NolanBallinger:
– And yet, Kuch is an incredibly cool passer. What exciting programs it offers!

@Combah_:
– Besides the assist, Kucherov’s only really useful action today was his dive, with which he gained 2 minutes of majority.

@Girl_Lafleur:
– Kuch gave another incredible performance… in terms of “diving” and getting takedowns. What a rat!

@sportspessimisme:
– Kucherov was constantly diving, begging for a fine from the judges. I’m already tired of his antics.

@mHJYKSN76439:
– Kuch wore an invisible hat most of the game.

@ajsalmond:
– Only Vasilevsky kept a chance in Tampa throughout the match. Florida retained Kucherov.

@g_yopppa:
– Kucherov should play much better.

In the first match of the series with Florida, Kucherov played 19 minutes and 47 seconds with a utility indicator of -2, making only one shot on target on Sergei Bobrovsky’s goal.

The assist at the end of the game was Nikita’s 161st scoring action in the playoffs – in the number of points scored in the Stanley Cup he ranked 22nd in NHL history, surpassing such legends as Gordie Howe and Mike Bossy.

In terms of playoff scoring among active players, Kucherov is second behind Crosby and Malkin, who have 201 and 180 points, respectively.



Athletistic