- Nikita Kucherov assisted on the Lightning’s first three goals in Nashville
- Steven Stamkos tied it and won it in the shootout for the Predators
- Read below for what Jon Cooper, Brayden Point and Kucherov’s trade request mean for Tampa Bay
Nikita Kucherov answered his trade request by doing what he always does. He set up goals.
Kucherov had three assists in his first game since Elliotte Friedman reported Friday that he told the Lightning he won’t re-sign and wants out, but Tampa Bay lost 5-4 to the Predators in a shootout at Bridgestone Arena.
He assisted on goals by John Carlson, Jake Guentzel and Victor Hedman, and the third-period swings never stopped. Conor Geekie put the Lightning up 4-3 early in the third before Steven Stamkos tied it on the power play. Stamkos then scored the only goal of a four-round shootout.
Kucherov and Stamkos shared a laugh at the opening faceoff, which was the one light moment of a heavy weekend for the Lightning:
Jon Cooper was asked about Kucherov’s effort after the game.
“That’s Kucherov. Just watching him, he’s a proud Bolt. He came in tonight to help us win a hockey game. That’s what he’s done his whole career here. He gave us a (heck) of a chance. It’s too bad we couldn’t pull that one out.”
That fits what Cooper said before the game, when he told reporters the situation “made the team stronger.” Kucherov’s agent, Dan Milstein, also said his client would keep playing while the business side plays out.
Brayden Point talked about how the room is handling it.
“That’s his business. He’s my teammate, he’s my friend, and that’s how I’ll treat him. He’s going to play hard. We can’t look into the future. Right now, he’s a Bolt.”
His third assist set up Hedman for a 3-2 lead early in the second period. Watch the Lightning’s clip of the goal:
The three-assist night matched Joe Thornton for the 14th-most three-assist games in NHL history with 58. Kucherov is in the final year of an eight-year, $76 million deal and has a modified no-trade clause that includes a 10-team list.
Stamkos made the afternoon about himself. His tying goal was his first against Tampa Bay and Andrei Vasilevskiy, and it tied Phil Esposito for sixth on the all-time power-play goals list with 246. Here is the shootout winner:
The Lightning fell to 8-4-1 after earning points in five of their previous six games. Carlson said the rushes against were the problem, noting that the first two Predators goals looked a lot alike.
Lightning GM Julien BriseBois has said the team has “no intention” of trading him, so for now Kucherov keeps suiting up.
