Lightning's Nikita Kucherov: No points after benching

Kucherov had four shots, one hit and one minor penalty in a 6-0 loss to the Hurricanes on Sunday.

Coach Jon Cooper had benched Kucherov, Steven Stamkos and Brayden Point for the third period of Saturday's loss to Buffalo because they weren't performing well enough to give the team the best chance to win. They were back in action Sunday, but Tampa Bay's offense couldn't get rolling because of a parade to the penalty box. The Bolts are on a five-game losing streak heading into a four-game week, and Kucherov will be a key performer to help break the skid.