Nikita Kucherov is being raked over the coals for a dirty and dangerous play on Saturday night. Tampa Bay Lightning star forward Nikita Kucherov is facing a barrage of criticism on Sunday after a dirty play on Saturday night that left another player injured.

The Lightning right wing scores a highlight-reel goal and becomes the second player in team history to claim 600 assists.

Tampa Bay Lightning star Nikita Kucherov joined teammate Victor Hedman in an exclusive club during Saturday's win over the Detroit Red Wings.

If proximity leads to familiarity, the Chicago Blackhawks and Tampa Bay Lightning should be getting to know each other pretty well. They will meet for the second time in five days on Tuesday night, this time in Florida to cap their season series.

Nikita Kucherov scored 58 seconds into overtime and had two assists as the Tampa Bay Lightning beat the Chicago Blackhawks 4-3.

Tampa Bay Lightning right wing Nikita Kucherov tallied a goal and two assists during their overtime victory over the Chicago Blackhawks on Friday evening. Kucherov tallied the primary assist on Mitchell Chaffee's power-play strike in the opening frame.

Hedman sent a backhand shot toward the net, and Paul redirected the puck past Chicago goalie Arvid Soderblom to make it 3-2 with 7.9 seconds left in the period. “It definitely helped our demeanor, gave us a little bit of life coming back in here,” Bolts defenseman Ryan McDonagh said of Paul's goal.

How do you stop one of the greatest players of his generation? That’s what the Toronto Maple Leafs need to figure out against Tampa Bay Lightning winger Nikita Kucherov on Monday night.

BOTTOM LINE: The Chicago Blackhawks enter the matchup with the Tampa Bay Lightning as losers of three games in a row. Tampa Bay has a 26-19-3 record overall and a 15-6-1 record in home games. The Lightning have allowed 135 goals while scoring 170 for a +35 scoring differential.

Jake Evans scores with 2:15 remaining as the Canadiens close the gap between the teams in the Atlantic Division.

Our updated fantasy hockey rankings sees movement in the top 250, with Nikita Kucherov and Auston Matthews battling for the top spot.

Welcome back to NHL Predictions. Each day, Last Word on Hockey takes a look at the games that are scheduled and then offers insight and analysis to help predict who will be victorious in head-to-head matchups.