Bolts’ Kucherov not letting Stars take him off his game
The Dallas Stars did their scouting report on Nikita Kucherov. Their game plan, like the New York Islanders’ before them, appears to be to stick on him, try to get under his skin.
Kucherov took a big hit from Jamie Benn, a high stick from Mattias Janmark, then crashed into the boards bearing the brunt of Jamie Oleksiak’s 225pound frame. That was only in the first period of Game 2. He ended up going to the locker room, he said to replace a broken visor.
“Tough start, I guess,” Kucherov said with something of a chuckle. “But it’s a playoff game, you have to play. It doesn’t matter what happens.”
In the second period, Kucherov took two hits within 30 seconds from Corey Perry, then Jason Dickinson. That might have worked against Kucherov in the past — he’s let his frustration out before — but it’s not working in these playoffs.
Also in that same first period, Kucherov put two shots on net and made two beautiful passes to set up goals. Tampa Bay coach Jon Cooper said, when Kucherov was a little younger, he might have been concerned about him getting frustrated. Not this year. “The attention he gets is unparalleled,” he said. “You’re getting that attention for a reason. It’s because you’re pretty darn good. But you can’t let them see you sweat.”
When the Islanders tried something similar, the coach said he hoped they would keep doing it because Kucherov responded well.
It’s almost like, instead of responding in kind, Kucherov is taking it as a challenge to get back at them by upping his game.
“Last year, we saw his frustration level and that was the epitome of that side,” TV analyst Brian Engblom said. “(Game 2) was the epitome of the other side.”
In last year’s playoffs, Kucherov was suspended for a hit on Columbus’s Markus Nutivaara. He tripped the defenceman, then hit him in the head when he tried to get up. This year, Kucherov’s emotions flared in the Lightning’s Game 3 loss to the Islanders, when he slashed Jean-gabriel Pageau as the forward skated in on an empty net. It wasn’t his best moment of the playoffs, but it was a far cry from the year before.
Kucherov is no stranger to smashed sticks. He gets angry with himself for not living up to his own perfectionism. Engblom pointed out Kucherov wants to go out and score or set up a goal on every shift, which is impossible.
“At times, that has been detrimental for him,” Engblom said. “Sometimes it takes that one cathartic moment to go ‘OK, something has to give.’ He didn’t have to be told by a coach or anybody after that. He knew it.”
It’s hard to predict what Kucherov will do because he sees a step or two ahead of most players. That’s hard to play against, so opponents try to trip him up mentally as much as anything they can do physically.
Kucherov’s two assists Monday gave him 28 points in the playoffs, setting a franchise record. He has been productive even if he hasn’t made the same “what just happened” plays he’s dazzled fans with the past two regular seasons. There’s not as much room for those in the playoffs, where risky plays can become turnovers and goals the other way.
The Lightning wanted to play a more disciplined game this year. They wanted to be less dependent on their skill.
Kucherov is doing both of those things.