On Sunday, Nikita Kucherov ripped home a one-timer for his 28th goal of the season. More noteworthy, it was his 100th point of the season. For the 29 year-old Kucherov this marks the third time in his career that he’s hit the century mark. In 2017-18 he finished with exactly 100 points and then followed it up with 128 in 2018-19.
In the entire history of the Tampa Bay Lightning there have been six 100 point seasons, and now, Kucherov is responsible for exactly half of them.
There have been six 100-point seasons in @TBLightning history. Kuch has three of them. #GoBolts pic.twitter.com/zo6F6mizoY
— Bally Sports Sun: Lightning (@BallyLightning) March 20, 2023
With 11 games left in the season, it is possible that he could eclipse the 108 points Vincent Lecavalier put up in 2006-07.
Lightning / NHL News
Crunch Wrap: A tough week for Syracuse [Raw Charge]
Syracuse has had a break from their 86 games a year against Rochester and Utica, but it came at the expense at playing against some of the toughest teams in the Atlantic Division. That led to a rough week for the Crunch.
Late-season fatigue a challenge down the stretch for the Lightning [Tampa Bay Times]
“If they don’t know what we’re doing in our system after 65 games in, then that’s a whole different problem.” Rest over practice is the mantra as the Lightning grind through a tough March.
Views from the tarmac 😎 pic.twitter.com/G8H4rA4A4q
— Tampa Bay Lightning (@TBLightning) March 20, 2023
Perbix and Cole reflect on their experiences in the Frozen Four [Tampa Bay Lightning]
With Dylan Duke and McKade Webster heading to the NCAA Championships, a couple of Bolts who had long runs of their own back in their college days.
Wisconsin defeats top-ranked Ohio State to claim national title [Milwaukee Journal Sentinel]
The dream of a double hockey championship in the Webster family household is dead. Wisconsin’s 1-0 upset of the consensus top women’s team in the country, Ohio State, clinched the title for the Badgers. Makenna Webster, sister of Lightning prospect McKade Webster, is a junior forward for the Buckeyes. It had to be a little bittersweet for Webster who had transferred from Wisconsin this summer after winning a national title with them in 2021 (and was named the tournament’s most outstanding player.
Minna No Hockey: Why representation matters [On the Forecheck]
“Representation matters.
Not just to future generations, or marginalized groups, but to a 36-year-old beat writer with two kids who has lived a pretty blessed life. There’s nothing I can say to explain what it meant to me when I spoke with Kiefer [Sherwood] that night, nor when I talked to him after practice the next day about this very topic. Part of it is hope. Hope that one day that number will be much larger than 31 [the number of players that have played in the NHL that identify as Asian]. And yes, I don’t harbor any illusions of “if Sherwood is in the NHL, so could I!”, but until that moment, it was the first time in 36 years that I got to see a professional player on my favorite team whose background was just like mine.”
The NHL’s Three Stars of the Week [NHL.com]
Mika Zibanejad, Cale, Makar, and Jeremy Swayman earned the weekly honors from the league. I thought Brandon Hagel might have had a shot, but you really can’t complain about these picks.
Carson Briere and Patrick Carrozzi (a member of the Mercyhurst lacross team) have been charged by the Erie police following their actions at a bar earlier in the month. Briere, the son of former NHLer Daniel Briere, was shown on video pushing an empty wheelchair down a flight of stairs. Police contend that pushing the chair down the stairs created a danger for anyone who might have been walking up the stairs at the time and also blocked the staircase. The $2,000 chair was also severely damaged according to its owner, Sydney Benes.
Does late season form matter much in the playoffs? [All About the Jersey]
Not really?
What to expect from Devon Levi [Daily Face Off]
Levi is one of the highest regarded goaltender prospects in the league. After a brief, but successful, college career at Northeastern he signed an entry-level contract with the Buffalo Sabres. Just 21-years-old and he will likely see at least one start with the Sabres this season. Despite his success at the college and international level can the Sabres avoid rushing him to the league permanently?
New Bucs QB Baker Mayfield admitted today he doesn’t know too much about Tampa but showed he’s a smart new arrival by saying “I know we’ve got a good hockey team here in Tampa.”
cc: @TBLightning
— Greg Auman (@gregauman) March 20, 2023
