Lightning close to sweep, repeat of championship

It’s impossible for Nikita Kucherov to fly under the radar while leading the Tampa Bay Lightning to the verge of a second consecutive Stanley Cup championship.

Just how much he’s producing can still come as a surprise.

“I didn’t even realize he had 32 points,” coach Jon Cooper said Saturday.

Despite not playing all regular season while rehabbing from hip surgery, Kucherov leads all scorers in the playoffs with those 32 points on eight goals and 24 assists and has five points through three games of the Cup final against the Montreal Canadiens. It’s no coincidence given Kucherov’s impact that the Lightning won all three. With a victory in Monday’s Game 4, Tampa Bay would sweep the series and hoist the Cup for a second time in 10 months.

Kucherov had another goal and assist in a 6-3 win in Game 3 Friday that kept open the possibility of a series sweep by Tampa Bay.

“Obviously it helps us win games, most importantly,” defenseman Ryan McDonagh said of Kucherov’s play. “He can score in different fashions, power play and 5-on-5, and I think when he’s on his game he just lets the game come to him and take what’s given and is just in the right spots.”

Tampa Bay could not be in a better spot right now, having never trailed in the final and having seemingly wrestled the will to win away from Montreal.

The Canadiens look like a defeated team, and much of that is thanks to Kucherov.

Family not allowed: NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly confirmed to The Associated Press on Saturday that the Canadian government has not granted an exemption for family members of Lightning players and staff to travel to Montreal for a potential Cup celebration.

That means the Lightning could win a second championship in 11 months without family there to enjoy it.