The Art Ross Trophy, given to the player with the most points at the end of an NHL season, appears to be Nikita Kucherov's to lose. The Tampa Bay Lightning forward has a six-point lead over Colorado Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon entering the final day of the regular season, with Connor McDavid of the Edmonton Oilers a now-distant third. McDavid has won each of the past three scoring races and the Art Ross five times in his nine-season NHL career. Kucherov, in his 10th NHL season, won the Art Ross in 2018-19. We'll chart this race each day for the remainder of the season in the Art Ross Tracker.
The Race
Nikita Kucherov -- 144 points (44 goals, 100 assists)
Nathan MacKinnon -- 138 points (51 goals, 87 assists)
Connor McDavid -- 132 points (32 goals, 100 assists)
The Skinny
Kucherov: Kucherov became the fifth player in NHL history, and second this season, to get 100 assists in a season when he set up Brayden Point's power-play goal at 17:05 of the second period in a 6-4 win against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Wednesday. McDavid got his 100th assist Monday. Kucherov had a goal and an assist to get to 144 points.
Games remaining: 0
MacKinnon: The Avalanche center needs six points Thursday to tie Kucherov. Can it be done? He had five points in a game twice this season, so there is a chance. He may also be going against McDavid, so we could get a high-scoring affair. With MacKinnon, anything is possible.
Games remaining: 1
Next game: Thursday vs. Edmonton Oilers (9:30 p.m. ET; ESPN, SNO, SNE, SN1)
McDavid: The Oilers center was held without a point in a 5-2 loss to the Arizona Coyotes on Wednesday, ending a three-game streak (three goals, three assists). His 132 points are the second highest total of his NHL career. He had 153 last season.
Games remaining: 1
Next game: Thursday at Colorado Avalanche (9:30 p.m. ET; ESPN, SNO, SNE, SN1)
They said it
"It's a special moment. Thanks to my teammates and coaching staff for putting me in position to have success. I'm fortunate to play with great players. It's a good moment." -- Nikita Kucherov on reaching 100 assists in a season.
