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Two of the most productive Russian forwards in recent years, Nikita Kucherov of the Tampa Bay Lightning and Artemi Panarin of the New York Rangers, performed well on another day of the NHL regular season. Kucherov’s two goals against the Vegas Golden Knights put him in first place in the championship’s scoring race, and Artemi Panarin’s hat trick against the Detroit Red Wings gave him four points, which allowed him to overtake his compatriot Evgeni Malkin in the scoring race.
The day and the two games confirmed the feeling that Russia’s most famous players are in very good shape early this season. Nikita Kucherov was the undisputed hero of Tampa’s 4-3 home win over Vegas. Before the start of this season, while there were reservations about his chances to become the leading scorer, as in previous ones, Kucherov’s team had changed a bit after the summer storm in a lively market. For example, it does not include the famous forward Steven Stamkos, who was traded to the Nashville Predators. And he was almost the main recipient of Russian passes. And usually, when these welded bonds break down, the forward’s productivity can suffer.
But nothing happened. Jake Guentzel, a transfer from the Carolina Hurricanes, joined a striking line with Nikita Kucherov and Brayden Point, and the Russian forward's efficiency not only did not decrease, but increased.
Moreover, in October, Kucherov's emphasis seemed to change. Always considered a first-puncher, he suddenly became a potent sniper.
In the game against Vegas, Nikita Kucherov scored twice and the winning goal in the last minute. After that, Kucherov scored 6 goals in 3 games for Tampa, which has not yet failed since the start of the championship. No one in the league has that. And this is despite the fact that most of the opponents have played more games.
Artemi Panarin's performance was even more brilliant in the New York Rangers' 5-2 road win over the Detroit Red Wings. Panarin was involved in all but one of his team's scoring attacks, recording a hat trick and an assist. For the most part, he was simply devastating, scoring twice.
It was Rangers' fourth league game, and the Russian had scored more points in each game. Such streaks are rare in a fast-paced season, with so many people getting into shape. But nothing like that has happened in the last three years.
Artemi Panarin currently has 11 points. He is tied for the championship lead in scoring with another Russian player, Evgeni Malkin of the Pittsburgh Penguins. Malkin has played more games.
And the most interesting thing in this case is to "predict" Panarin's current performance over the entire 82-game regular season. If he maintains this dynamic, he will have 226 points. These are astounding numbers. Of course, it is unlikely that Panarin will do so, but in any case, what is happening now suggests that the forward can surpass his personal best, set in the last championship. In that game, he scored 120 points, ranking 4th in scoring.