Nikita Kucherov rebounds from injury, joins elite club in Lightning's Game 1 victory

Less than a week ago, the Tampa Bay Lightning didn't know if they would have Nikita Kucherov in their lineup for the rest of the playoffs.

All that uncertainty seemed like nothing but a bad dream on Monday evening as the veteran forward registered two goals and an assist in the Bolts' 5-1 victory over the Montreal Canadiens in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final -- and joined very elite company in doing so.

The winger's three-point night made him just the third player in NHL history to reach 30-plus points in consecutive postseason appearances.

The other two? Mario Lemieux and Wayne Gretzky.

"That's one of the best players in the world," Lightning captain Steven Stamkos told the press following the game. "He's playing like a beast right now. He's so, so good."

Kucherov exited after his first shift of Tampa Bay's Game 6 overtime loss to the New York Islanders last Wednesday and was questionable to play in Game 7 of the tight conference finals' series. His exit naturally had the Lightning concerned, given the former league MVP had already missed the entire regular season due to having hip surgery.

The stealthy Russian didn't just return in time for Game 1 of the Final -- he chose to not acknowledge he had been injured at all.

"There was no injury," Kucherov told the media last week. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Head coach Jon Cooper took a different approach, not just acknowledging Kucherov's health but applauding him for fighting through.

"Guys are battling through injuries. It's kind of an inspiration to others, and so it's uplifting, watching what guys fight through, especially at this time of year," Cooper said.  "It's Finals time, and everybody's playing banged up.

"Fortunately for this group, why we probably had some success because everybody's fighting through it."

Kucherov scored both of his goals in the third period of Game 1, leading the Lightning from a close 2-1 lead over the Habs after two periods to a more comfortable 4-1 advantage with just nine minutes to play in regulation. He then set up Stamkos for the final goal at the 18:50 mark. 

Not bad for a player who didn't skate a single shift before the playoffs started.

"It was tough mentally not being able to play (in the regular season), but that's all in the past," Kucherov said. "I'm just really enjoying the moment and happy to be with the boys and just excited to play in the Final."