Kucherov returns for Lightning in playoffs feeling 'better than before'

Nikita Kucherov
said he recognizes it might take him time to get up to speed making his season debut for the Tampa Bay Lightning in the Stanley Cup First Round.

"I have to adjust real quick and try to slow down the game as much as I can, use my skill and my head to think the game and make the plays," the forward said. "I'll adjust to the speed as the series goes on. Hopefully it's not going to take long."
Kucherov, who had hip surgery Dec. 29, will play when the Lightning visit the Florida Panthers in Game 1 on Sunday (7:30 p.m. ET; NBCSN, SN, TVAS, BSFL, BSSUN).
It will be his first game since Sept. 28, when the Lightning won the Stanley Cup with a 2-0 victory against the Dallas Stars in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final. He led the NHL with 34 points (seven goals, 27 assists) in the postseason.
Kucherov missed the entire regular season recovering from the surgery. He has been practicing with the Lightning for two weeks.
"The big thing for me is to not sit here and say Kucherov is coming back, all problems are solved," Tampa Bay coach Jon Cooper said. "That would be the absolute wrong way to look at it. I don't think anybody should be looking at it that way. He's an exceptional player in this league. He can make things happen, and so yes, you put him in some of these skilled situations, he looks great because he does it better than most anybody in the world. But we have to also be careful in the fact that I don't think he's played a game in [almost] eight months and there's something to be said for that.
"The body is rested, but he's still coming off an injury that we weren't sure we were going to get him back in the first round. He's got to get his timing and there's going to be parts of the game that probably frustrate him because he knows in his head he can make a play, but because you haven't played he's got to catch up to the game."
Kucherov said the hip injury occurred after he pulled his groin in Game 1 against the Columbus Blue Jackets in the Eastern Conference First Round last season.
"I think that caused the hip problem too," he said. "From that game I kind of played through it."
He said he has no lingering effects following the surgery.
"I feel really good," Kucherov said. "Nothing is bothering me. I feel strong and I think it's better than before."
Kucherov said watching Tampa Bay's games from the press box this season was tough on him. The Lightning (36-17-3) were third in the Discover Central Division, four points behind the second-place Panthers and five behind the first-place Carolina Hurricanes.
"At the same time, I understand what I've been through and the purpose of me staying out, not playing to properly heal and feel better for the future," Kucherov said. "I looked at the game from different angles and perspectives and picked up a few things here and there that I think I have added to my game. Hopefully I can use in the game what I saw."
Tampa Bay forward Steven Stamkos will also be in the lineup for Game 1 of the best-of-7 series. Stamkos missed the last 16 games of the regular season with a lower-body injury.
"It's extremely tough to jump back right into playoff hockey, whether you've missed a month or missed the whole season," Stamkos said Saturday. "There's no imitating a game-like situation until you get thrown into the fire. All you can do is fall back on how you prepared for that moment.
"I've seen 'Kuch' prepare, he's put in the work and he's excited to get back on the ice and play in a game. He's obviously a difference-maker, but at the same time you need to get back up to speed a little bit. I know the expectations are going to be extremely high, especially for a player of his caliber, but this is where the deepest teams and the best teams win series. That's what we've relied on in the past is a group effort and having a guy like that come back in the lineup is a jolt to the team. But we have to win as a team and we're looking to do that."
Cooper said forward Barclay Goodrow will not be ready for the start of the series. Goodrow scored 20 points (six goals, 14 assists) in 55 games this season. He will be replaced by forward Ross Colton, who scored 12 points (nine goals, three assists) in 30 games.
"I don't want to put timelines on him," Cooper said of Goodrow. "So, he's definitely going to be out probably another week for sure and then let's circle back in a week. Maybe if things go bad for one team that could be the series, but we're anticipating getting him back, we're just not sure exactly when yet. It won't be within the next week."