The first match of the opening round of the NHL playoffs, in which the Florida Panthers hosted reigning Stanley Cup winner Tampa Bay Lightning, ended in a 5-4 victory for the guests. One of the main heroes of the meeting was right-handed striker Nikita Kucherov, who has not gone out on the ice since last season and missed the entire regular season. The comeback turned out to be more than bright: he made a double and chalked up an assist.
The striker's health problems began during the playoffs of the 2019/20 season.
In the first match, he suffered a stretch in his groin muscles.
Despite the damage, the Russian continued to play and helped the team win the second Stanley Cup in history.
However, immediately after the end of the season, he required surgery, as the sprain caused a complication on the hip.
A long recovery followed, and even the player himself did not dare to predict when he would be able to join the team.
In early March, Tampa reported that they were counting on the striker in the playoffs, and he soon began training with the general group.
Help in the person of Kucherov arrived just in time, considering that his team took only third place in its division and eighth in the summary table of the regular season.
After the first period of the reporting match, John Cooper's wards were inferior 1: 2.
The hosts responded to Blake Coleman's goal with two abandoned washers performed by Alexander Barkov and Carter Verage.
However, in the second 20-minute, the one whom Lightning fans have been waiting for so long proved to be.
In the 25th minute, the Panthers were outnumbered.
After a throw-in in the opponent's zone, fragments of a stick of one of the hockey players appeared on the ice.
Kucherov managed to orient himself, threw them out of his way, and, having received a pass from Viktor Hedman, sent the puck into the goal of Sergei Bobrovsky.
Ten minutes later, “Tampa” again punished the team from Florida for sending off and took the lead.
The main characters of the episode were again the Swede and the Russian.
Hedman neutralized the defenders and the goalkeeper, and Kucherov had to throw the puck from the right edge of the attack and chalk up a double.
At the beginning of the final period, the hosts managed to come out ahead, but in the 54th minute, the guests restored the balance again.
This time Kucherov used a diversionary maneuver, swung effectively, but instead of a throw, he passed a pass to Braidan Point, who completed the scoring episode.
The Canadian scored the winning goal at the very end of the match - in the 59th minute, when many were already preparing for overtime.
The Russian striker was named the third star of the match after Point and Panthers forward Jonathan Huberdeau.
Summing up the results of the meeting, he admitted that he was looking forward to returning to the ice.
“I tried not to think about the game before the match.
Didn't even know what to expect.
But he tried to do so in order to show himself, to have a good first shift, maybe to catch someone in a power reception.
That's all I tried to do.
But a new thigh is a new thigh.
It has become different, everything is better now, and now I feel great, ”the official website of the league quotes Kucherov.
Thanks to a double and an assist, Nikita ranked seventh in history among Russian hockey players in terms of points earned in the NHL playoffs.
Now he has 98 points - one more than Igor Larionov, three-time Stanley Cup winner with Detroit.
In addition, the Tampa striker has managed to repeat the achievement of Alexander Ovechkin: since 2014, he has scored 38 goals in the playoffs.
No one in the league has scored more in that time frame.
Given that both Russians entered the fight for the Stanley Cup, it can be assumed that an absentee struggle will unfold between them for leadership in this indicator.
Cooper was pleased with his charges.
He noted the importance of Kucherov's return for the whole team and compared the Russian with a child eagerly awaiting the opening of a candy store.
“This is a big boost for us.
These two guys - Kuch and Stammer (striker Steven Stamkos -
RT
) - immediately brought our majority to new heights.
They played strongly, confidently, gave results, their hockey was pleasant to watch.
Victory is victory.
It does not depend on whether you are leading or losing by one puck.
You try to get back into the game to win.
It was a damn interesting hockey game.
It was fun to be in it.
And I'm proud of the guys, ”Cooper admitted.
The Point also commented on the return of the Lightning leaders.
According to him, it is not easy for hockey players of this class to find a replacement.
He noted that he was not surprised by such a confident game of Kucherov after a serious injury.
“This is the whole Kuch.
A man devotes himself to hockey.
We see how he works in training, how he polishes his skills.
Nikita went through a long period of recovery.
He returned in a match where we saw very fast and hard hockey.
And gave the result - it's incredible.
He is a world class player.
And we're glad he's back, ”added Point.
A short but precise definition of Kucherov's return was given by his agent Dan Milstein: "The king is back!"
I also expressed my respect for the Russian and Hedman.
“Great game in such a tense match.
The worst thing is that he will only add, "- journalist Joe Smith quotes the defender.
The first match between the Panthers and Tampa will be remembered for an unusual statistical achievement. He became only the fourth in NHL history, with the leader changing four times throughout the game. The last time such an achievement was recorded in 2018 was the first Stanley Cup final between the Capitals and the Vegas Golden Knights.