NHL Stars of the Week – Kucherov Passes His Way to Top Honors

Today the National Hockey League announced their Three Stars of the Week for the week of April 1st through 7th.

First Star – Nikita Kucherov (RW – TB)

• Kucherov posted a League-best nine assists and 10 points in four games (1-9—10) to propel the Lightning (43‑27-7, 93 points) to a pair of wins as they clinched their seventh consecutive playoff berth. He opened the week with one helper in a 4-2 loss to the Detroit Red Wings April 1. Kucherov then registered three straight three-point performances, the third time he has accomplished the feat in his career (also April 23-26, 2022: 4-8—12 in 3 GP and Feb. 10-14, 2019: 4-7—11 in 3 GP). He collected three assists in a 4-1 victory against the Toronto Maple Leafs April 3 to surpass his franchise record for points in one season, established in 2018-19 en route to capturing the Art Ross Trophy (41-87—128 in 82 GP). Kucherov added 1-2—3 in a 7-4 triumph over the Montreal Canadiens April 4 to become the first Tampa Bay player to compile 90 assists in one season – and the second player on any team to reach the milestone in 2023-24, following Edmonton Oilers center Connor McDavid (31-99—130 in 74 GP), after no one had done so since 2006-07. Kucherov capped the week with three more helpers, his 10th three-assist and 22nd three-point game of the campaign, in a 5-4 defeat versus the Pittsburgh Penguins April 6. The 30-year-old Kucherov, who has points in six straight outings dating to March 27 (2-11—13), leads the NHL with 43-93—136 through 76 total appearances this season – three points ahead of second-place Nathan MacKinnon (48-85—133 in 78 GP w/ COL). Kucherov also ranks among the top 2023-24 performers in power-play assists (1st; 38), power-play points (1st; 51), assists (2nd; 93), shots on goal (t‑6th; 296), goals (t-7th; 43) and power-play goals (t-13th; 13).

Second Star – Sidney Crosby (C – PIT)

• Crosby placed second in the NHL with five goals in four contests (5-1—6) as the Penguins (36‑30‑11, 83 points) completed a perfect week to extend their point streak to eight games dating to March 26 (6-0-2) and move within one point of the final Wild Card position in the Eastern Conference. Crosby recorded 2-1—3 in a 5-2 win against the New York Rangers April 1 to clinch his 19th career point-per-game season, a total achieved by only one other player in League history: Wayne Gretzky (also 19x). He followed that with two third-period goals as Pittsburgh rallied from a 3-1 deficit for a 6-3 victory over the New Jersey Devils April 2. Crosby, who was held off the scoresheet in a 4-1 triumph versus the Washington Capitals April 4, then scored in a 5-4 win against the Tampa Bay Lightning April 6 to become the seventh different player in NHL history to reach the 40-goal milestone at age 36 or older. The two-time Hart Memorial Trophy winner leads the Penguins in goals (40; 14 more than any other player), assists (45; three more than any other player) and points (85; 23 more than any other player) through 77 total contests this season as the team looks to become the first in League history overcome a nine-point deficit in its final 11 games to reach the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Third Star – Artemi Panarin (LW – NYR)

• Panarin ranked second in the NHL with 2-6—8 across four games to guide the League-leading Rangers (53-21-4, 110 points) to a 3-1-0 week as they matched a franchise record for wins in one season (also 2014-15: 53-22-7). He notched one assist in a 5-2 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins April 1, followed by 1-1—2 (including a helper on the tiebreaking goal by Chris Kreider with 4:57 remaining in regulation) in a 4-3 triumph over the New Jersey Devils April 3. Panarin added an assist (on another third-period, tiebreaking goal by Kreider) in a 4-3 victory against the Detroit Red Wings April 5 before closing the week with 1-3—4 as New York rallied for a 5-2 win versus the Montreal Canadiens April 7. The 32-year-old Panarin sits fourth in the NHL with 46-69—115 through 78 total contests this season, second in franchise history behind only Jaromir Jagr’s 2005-06 campaign (54-69—123 in 82 GP). Panarin also places among the top 10 in the League for power-play assists (4th; 32), power-play points (4th; 42), assists (5th; 69), goals (6th; 46) and shots on goal (9th; 285) in 2023-24.

*All Graphics courtesy of the NHL and New York Rangers. Player Profiles written by NHL PR Staff.

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