It's no stroke of dumb luck that Tampa Bay Lightning forward Nikita Kucherov is having another playoff season to remember.
The 22-year-old Russian picked up his eighth goal of the postseason Friday night, scoring the tying goal that sent his club to overtime and ultimately set the stage for Jason Garrison's game-winner, giving Tampa a 3-1 series lead.
"He's feeling it," goaltender Ben Bishop said of Kucherov, according to Joe Smith of the Tampa Bay Times. "People don't understand how smart a player he is. Obviously he's got the skill, but he's a very smart player. He's finding areas and getting his opportunities."
Kucherov's goal extendend his postseason lead in the category to two, marking the sixth game in nine playoff contests that he's found the back of the net.
"He's not a one-hit wonder," head coach Jon Cooper said, according to John Kreiser of NHL.com. "He did this last year in the playoffs. He carries it into the regular season and gets 30 goals. Now we're playing on the biggest stage, and he continues to amaze."
Kucherov's hot-handed ways have carried over from the regular season.
After pacing the team with 66 points in 77 regular season games - including his first 30-goal campaign - Kucherov leads the team in postseason goals this spring and is just one point back of Tyler Johnson in playoff points.
He continues to be a consistent playoff performer - as he collected 22 points in 26 games last postseason - shouldering the brunt of the offensive responsibilities for the Lightning.
