By Michael Wax
Find a way. Even though the Lightning struggled against the Sharks, they put together a great third period to win 4-1. Here's how they stacked up:
Duclair-Point-Kucherov
Hagel-Cirelli-Stamkos
Eyssimont-Paul-Sheary
Motte-Glendening-Chaffee
Hedman-Raddysh
de Haan-Cernak
Lilleberg-Dumba
Vasilevskiy
Here are three things we noticed from the game:
Inevitable
Another day, another game talking about Nikita Kucherov After putting up four points in his last performance against Vegas, there was no way he could do it in back-to-back games, right?
Somehow, improbably, after the way the first two periods went, Kucherov once again had four points against the Sharks, making that back-to-back four games and eight four-point games this season, tying his own record from 2018-19 for most four-point games in a single season.
Kucherov's first assist of the night, a secondary assist on a weird goal that saw Nick Paul be the only one who knew where the puck went, gave him 12 straight games with an assist. Once again, Kucherov broke his franchise record for consecutive games with an assist, which he set earlier this year for those keeping track. Kucherov has had multiple streaks of 11+ games with at least one assist. Not only that, but he is one more assist behind Connor McDavid's record for this season, as McDavid had a 13-game assist streak earlier this year.
Finally, it's important to highlight one of the most absurd stats we've ever heard. Kucherov's primary on Anthony Duclair's 3-0 goal was his 80th assist of the season. This was Kucherov's third season of 80+ assists (2018-19, 2022-23, 2023-24), the most among any NHL player since the 2005-06 lockout, breaking a tie with both Connor McDavid and Joe Thornton. He also became the seventh player in NHL history with at least 3+ seasons of 80 or more assists.
After his four-point night, Kucherov is now five points up on Nathan MacKinnon for the NHL scoring lead. He's on a heater, and it's coming at the perfect time for a team looking to get into playoff shape.
Duke
What a pickup Anthony Duclair has become for the lightning. After five games, the 28-year-old has put up four goals and two assists while not being a total liability in the defensive zone. He's shown versatility, playing with everybody from Brayden Point to Brandon Hagel to Nick Paul. In his return game to San Jose, he scored yet another goal, this one being the nicest on in a Lightning uniform so far and his 20th goal of the season overall. With Brayden Point and Nikita Kucherov already in the zone, Duclair found another gear skating downhill, took the pass from Kucherov, and put it together. Some nifty moves before beating McKenzie Blackwood on the backhand to make it 3-0 Lightning.
His assist on the 4-0 goal isn't anything to write home about and is the indictment of Nikita Kucherov's hard work; it's important to see Duclair's role. Sometimes, on a line with two superstars with their offensive roles, they need an important third piece to forecheck and win board battles. Brandon Hagel did it all the time as a member of that line, and now Duclair has that responsibility, which he was able to fulfill on this goal from Point.
It'll remain to be seen if the honeymoon phase continues for Duclair and the Lightning throughout their next 13 games and into the playoffs. But early returns suggest that the Lightning got one of the most impactful players at the deadline, thanks to Duclair's willingness to win and a perfect spot for him in the lineup to thrive.
On Time
Speaking of playoff shape, the Lightning did not look like the better team for most of this game. If this was against a team like the Florida Panthers, who have been better than the Bolts for most of the season, there might be a sigh of relief that they got two points and ran. However, facing one of the worst in the NHL over the last decade in San Jose, the lightning looked terrible for the first two periods.
Through 40 minutes, the Lightning only managed to muster ten shots on goal. They didn't hit ten shots on goal until two minutes left in the second. They were getting outshot and outplayed, and the Sharks were dominating the face-off battle and controlling the possession game through their face-off wins.
Luckily, the Lightning salvaged the game with a fantastic third period. The time difference may have been a factor, seeing as they played the latest game on the schedule, but they put together a pretty good performance against the Vegas Golden Knights two days ago on the West Coast. It was a strange game for a team that has not only had one against contenders recently but has been the better team in most of those games. Hopefully, this is not a trend, and the Lightning can signal it as a one-off on a western road trip that features two more opponents the Lightning should beat.
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