Bolts Best Player of the Month: Nikita Kucherov

Nikita Kucherov capped off a milestone December with a multi-point night in a win over the Habs on New Year’s Eve, extending his NHL-leading point total to 61 on the season.

In total he grabbed 11 goals and 22 points in the month of December, the most significant of which came against the Panthers days after Christmas. The Bolts winger became the fourth member of the Lightning’s 300 goal club, now sitting behind Martin St. Louis at 302 for his career.

The 30-year-old Kucherov continues to dominate the scoresheet this season, setting a new franchise record for fewest games to reach the 60-point mark in a season, passing his previous mark of 38 games in 2018. He’s now on pace for 56 goals and 135 points, both of which would be career highs for Kuch.

“I've just watched this kid grow into one of the best players in the world,” said Jon Cooper after Sunday night’s win over Montreal. “Whether he's MVP of the league or not, he's for sure been ours.”