The Tampa Bay Lightning fell to the Colorado Avalanche in Game 1 of the 2022 Stanley Cup Final. However, Nikita Kucherov still provided a historic moment.
The 28-year-old superstar notched an assist in Wednesday's game, bringing him into elite company in Stanley Cup Playoff history. According to ESPN Stats & Info, Kucherov now has 90 points over the last three postseasons. He is the third player in NHL history to accomplish this feat.
Wayne Gretzky accomplished the feat five times over the course of his 20-year career. Notably, he recorded 120 points in the playoffs from 1983 to 1985, and 101 points from 1984 to 1986. Gretzky led a dynastic Edmonton Oilers squad to four Stanley Cups in five years between 1984 and 1988.
Gretzky dominated the game in a manner never seen before, and not yet seen since. The nine-time Hart Memorial Trophy winner was named the Conn Smythe Trophy winner on two occasions.
The other player to accomplish this feat is Pittsburgh Penguins legend Mario Lemieux. From 1989 to 1992, the two-time Stanley Cup champion had 97 playoff points. The Penguins lifted Lord Stanley's Cup back to back in 1991 and 1992.
Kucherov has been a major piece of the Lightning's current run. The four-time All-Star netted 34 points in the 2020 expanded bubble playoffs when Tampa defeated the Dallas Stars in six games. The next year, he added 32 points as the Lightning took care of the Montreal Canadiens in five games.
Since being drafted in the second round in 2011, Kucherov has emerged as a superstar. In 2017-18, he recorded his first 100-point season. A year later, he tallied 128 points as Tampa tied the 1995-96 Detroit Red Wings 62 single-season wins record.
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