Lightning's Nikita Kucherov: Carries team to win

Kucherov scored twice Thursday in a 4-3 win over Vancouver.

Kucherov's first goal came late in the second. He curled off the right wing boards and knifed a wrist shot from the top of the circle and under the crossbar past a screened Thatcher Demko. Kucherov then put Tampa Bay up for good with a power-play goal at 4:42 of the third. He had six shots through the first two periods (seven total) and hit a post in the third, too. He also blocked three shots. Kucherov is starting to dominate games, but his average ice time so far this season (22:52) is almost three minutes higher than his average last season. The sample size is small, so we aren't concerned. But heavy ice time early may have an impact later in the season.