Nikita Kucherov’s career year just got a little sweeter.
After becoming the fifth player to hit 100 assists in a season and notching a career-high 44 goals, the Tampa Bay Lightning forward secured his second Art Ross Trophy by leading the NHL in points with 144.
Second in the race was Colorado Avalanche superstar Nathan MacKinnon with 140 points.
The Russian superstar put the Lightning on his back this season, finishing with 41 multi-point games, including eight games with four or more points. He notched a point on 50.4 per cent of the team’s 282 goals this season.
His playmaking was a big reason the Lightning had the fifth-highest-scoring offence in the NHL, netting 3.51 goals per game, and were tied with the Vancouver Canucks for the highest shooting percentage, at 12.0 per cent.
Tampa Bay also had the most effective power play in the league, converting at 28.63 per cent. Kucherov was a big part of that, leading the league with 53 points on the man advantage.
This is his second Art Ross Trophy, joining current Montreal Canadiens coach Martin St. Louis as the only Lightning players to twice top the league in points. Kucherov last did it in the 2018-19 season, finishing with 128 points that year.
The two-time Stanley Cup winner is set to take on the in-state rival Florida Panthers in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The puck drops for Game 1 of their series on Sunday at 12:30 p.m. ET / 9:30 a.m. PT.