1. KUCHEROV MAKES HISTORY
With the Lightning trailing 1-0 and struggling to get anything going offensively, Nikita Kucherov, like he's done so often this season, was the one to spark the Bolts.
Kucherov stole the puck from Zach Bogosian as he was about to take an open shot in the slot at the Lightning net, starting a 2-on-1 break the other way. Kucherov dished off to his left for Tyler Johnson, who carried the puck into the zone, waited for Sabres defenseman Rasmus Dahlin to commit and slide down to the ice, then hooked a pass around Dahlin for Kucherov to one-time into the back of the net and tie the game.
"Once I got it past the D-man, I know it was pretty much in," Johnson said.
The goal was the 100th point of the season for Kucherov, a remarkable achievement just 62 games into the season. Kucherov became just the sixth NHL player since 1993-94 to reach 100 points in 62 games or less and the first since Mario Lemieux accomplished the feat in 61 games during the 1996-97 season.
Kucherov has recorded back-to-back 100-point seasons. He's the first Lightning player ever to reach 100 points in multiple seasons.
Asked after the game what the number meant to him, Kucherov, as is typical, deflected, not wanting to talk about his personal accomplishments but rather focusing on the team's success.
"It was a special moment," Kucherov said, the only insight he would offer into how he felt about the achievement. "I thought we played really well, and, most importantly, it was two points for us."
His teammates and head coach were more effusive in their praise of Kucherov and his remarkable season.
"The biggest thing for me is how excited the guys were for him," Lightning head coach Jon Cooper said. "To do it in 62 games, I think in the last 20 years he's in some pretty elite company to do that. He's doing it on a team that's having a lot of success, and he's a huge part of that."
"It's kind of hard to believe but then you watch the games and see the chances he creates every night and you understand why he's got that many points," Lightning center and Kucherov's linemate Brayden Point said. "He just makes our team better and his linemates and whoever he's on the ice with better. It's pretty impressive to see. It's awesome for him."
We're all witness to one of the greatest individual seasons in Tampa Bay Lightning history. And by the time the regular season has concluded, Kucherov's season will likely be the greatest in Lightning history.