SALT LAKE CITY — Nikita Kucherov became the Tampa Bay Lightning's career points leader with an assist in the first period against the Utah Mammoth on Saturday night.
Kucherov fired a shot on the power play and Brayden Point poked in the rebound, giving Kucherov his 10th assist of the season. The Lightning immediately spilled onto the ice to congratulate him. It was the reigning Hart Trophy winner's 1,138th point (405 goals, 733 assists) in his 890th game to surpass the franchise mark held by Steven Stamkos (1,137 points over 1,082 games).
"He's arguably the smartest player I've ever coached," said coach Jon Cooper, who took over the Lightning in March 2013 and has led them to two Stanley Cup titles. "He's always multiple steps ahead."
Cooper recalled a moment when he was breaking down video with Kucherov.
"I'm like, 'All right, I've got him here about some learning thing.' He's like, 'Whoa, whoa, whoa' and he makes me back the clip up," Cooper recounted. "He's like, 'Well, look at this, this, this,' and I'm like, 'Oh my god, yeah, you're right.' His mastery of his skill set and his deception out there, it's uncanny what he can do."
The 33-year-old Kucherov scored his first NHL point on his first shot when he scored against the New York Rangers and Hall of Fame goaltender Henrik Lundqvist on Nov. 25, 2013. One month later, Kucherov, a second-round pick in 2011, recorded his first assist on his way to becoming the franchise's leader in the category.
"He's a wizard with the puck," Avalanche coach Jared Bednar said. "It's not that he's a scorer, but his puck distribution, the way he handles the puck, the way he's able to slow it down off the rush, or an O-zone play, and buy himself time and time for his teammates to get open, is elite."
Kucherov finished with 44 goals and 86 assists last season in an MVP-winning season. He's off to a four-goal, 10-assist start this season.
What Colorado defenseman Josh Manson appreciates is the ease of Kucherov's game.
"He just gets the puck and calms things down," Manson said. "He doesn't look at you, and you think you have him, but you don't. You have to be on your toes and cautious because he's always looking to find a lane. He's always looking to slip by you, and he's very deceptive. I think deception is a real key to his game."
