Kucherov Return Expected to Boost Odds for Lightning's Chances of Winning
Considering how he was initially out with an undisclosed injury in the past few weeks, Nikita Kucherov made an explosive return with three points to lead the Tampa Bay Lightning to a 4-2 win over the Vancouver Canucks, sparking a promising comeback to the team’s lineup after missing out on key games as he was recovering in early December.
No one can deny the massive impact that Nikita Kucherov has on the team, and it is his big game that has lifted the Lightning to the upper echelon of the NHL over the years. As the team hangs in the balance between missing the playoffs or not had it started today, it is safe to say that there’s still a lot of work to be done for the team heading into the latter weeks of December to close out the year.
With Kucherov back in the starting lineup, fans can expect to see more from the Tampa Bay Lightning as they seek to open up a winning streak that will send them back to the top of the Eastern Conference, where new contenders have risen to take over and bring down the former contenders that we have seen over the past few years.
“Kuch” Clutch
Kucherov has been nothing short of spectacular in his return for the Lightning. He has managed to deliver three big points, including an assist to Jake Guentzel on a power play at 16:04 of the third period to take the lead at 3-2. A lot can happen when Kucherov’s on the commanding side of the plays, and he made sure to make his presence felt when it mattered most.
“Just another kind of 'Kuch' night, factoring in on all the goals, so great to have him back,” Point said, who also had his second straight four-point game with 12 points (six goals, six assists) in his past five games. “It was a good team effort for us, though, a lot of guys blocking shots, sacrificing, taking hits to make plays and that's why we ended up winning."
Kucherov’s performances has been quite the story of almost every Tampa Bay season, especially when they won the championship back in 2020 and 2021. Now that he’s back, he can definitely engineer another campaign back to the top, considering how the team is just a few wins back from either being out of the top eight – or making a case for the top five.
Timely Return
For now, Tampa Bay fans can be happy that one of their key stars are back in action. They just lost forward Anthony Cirelli with 6:11 left in the first period after he got hit into the bench by Vancouver defenseman Noah Juulsen. On the other hand, defenseman Erik Cernak did not return to the game after he took a hit from Canucks forward Aatu Raty on his first shift of the third period.
Considering their circumstances right now, it is safe to say that they did get lucky enough to have Kucherov back in the lineup despite losing two key guys who are critical on both offense and defense, respectively.
“Tough night, especially we're on the road here for four games out west, and to lose some of these guys early on, so we'll know more tomorrow,” Lightning coach Jon Cooper said. “Nervous about these. It's hard right after the game because you don't really know.”
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