Kucherov Assists in Lightning Victory
The MVP recorded two assists in a 4-2 win over Detroit, playing his first home game since requesting a trade.
By Martin Reynolds ·
Nikita Kucherov returned to Tampa Bay's home ice on Tuesday night to face the Detroit Red Wings, marking his first appearance there since asking his team for a trade. The Lightning won the matchup 4-2, extending their home winning streak to seven games.
Brayden Point scored twice for Tampa Bay, while Anthony Cirelli added a third goal. Detroit's Lucas Raymond and J.T. Compher provided the Red Wings' two goals. Kucherov contributed two assists in the contest, bringing his total to five assists in the two games since he notified the organization of his desire to move.
Fans at Amalie Arena displayed signs reading "We Stand with Kuch 86" and "Pay Stay Kuch" during pregame warmups. The reception for the reigning MVP was largely warm, despite the tension surrounding his contract status. He is currently in the final year of an eight-year, $76 million deal signed in 2018.
Point opened the scoring with a power-play goal in the first period. He received a centering pass from Kucherov and fired the shot into the net past goaltender John Gibson. Five minutes and seven seconds later, Point scored his second goal, again assisted by Kucherov, to give the Lightning a 2-0 lead.
Detroit replaced Gibson with Daniil Tarasov for the second period after Gibson stopped 11 of 13 shots in the first frame. Cirelli capitalized on the change, lifting a shot into the top left corner to make it 3-0. Raymond reduced the deficit to 3-1 with a shot from the left point midway through the period.
Compher pulled Detroit within one goal with a power-play shot from the right circle late in the third period. The Red Wings pulled their goalie for an extra attacker in the final three minutes but could not force a tie. Ryan McDonagh scored an empty-netter with one second remaining to seal the victory for Tampa Bay.
Kucherov stated on Monday that he requested a trade due to a lack of communication with general manager Julien BriseBois. The player cited poor communication and respect as the primary factors, noting that he and BriseBois had only spoken twice in the last four months. BriseBois informed Kucherov he was free to leave on July 1.
Source: ESPN
