Lightning’s Nikita Kucherov Joins Gretzky, Lemieux With Historic Streak

The 2025–26 NHL season has featured no shortage of drama, but few storylines have been as captivating as the race for the scoring title. What began as a tight battle between four first overall picks making history has slowly turned into something far more one-sided.

Early in the year, it looked like a four-player sprint between Connor McDavid, Nathan MacKinnon, Macklin Celebrini, and Connor Bedard. Then the calendar flipped.

Since the start of 2026, Nikita Kucherov hasn’t just been the best player in the league — he’s been playing on a level the NHL hasn’t consistently seen since the mid-1990s.

On December 31, McDavid and MacKinnon were tied for the league lead with 70 points. Kucherov sat at 51, tied for fifth . Since then, he has exploded for 70 points, passing MacKinnon (48) and McDavid (47) in the scoring title race. Even more impressive, Kucherov has matched their point totals with assists alone over that span.

Kucherov Matching Mario Lemieux’s Prime

In his first 10 games of 2026, he recorded 23 points (7 goals, 16 assists), the most in a 10-game span to begin a calendar year since Mario Lemieux put up 26 in 1997 and 23 in 1996.

That alone would be headline-worthy. Instead, it’s become just a footnote with how often it seems to be happening.

Following a four-point performance in a 5-2 win over the Edmonton Oilers — where he also scored the first shorthanded goal of his career (video below) — Kucherov reached 96 points over a 45-game span. That’s the highest total by any player since Lemieux’s 1995–96 season.

Actually speechless 🥵 pic.twitter.com/1IXMawUXlL
— Tampa Bay Lightning (@TBLightning) March 22, 2026

After that victory, both JJ Moser and Brandon Hagel had plenty of praise for him. He also became the first player since Mario Lemieux to have 75 points over a 33-game stretch.

Kucherov’s Historic Stretch Places Him Alongside Gretzky and Lemieux

If his overall production is elite, his road performances have been historic.

It began on March 7 with a four-assist night against Toronto. The next game, he followed with three points in a wild 8-7 loss to Buffalo. After a brief stop at home, Kucherov hit another level on a west coast road trip.

He recorded five points and a hat trick against Seattle, added three points in Vancouver, and followed that with four more against Edmonton.

That gave him five straight road games with at least three points — a streak achieved by only two other players in NHL history:

Mario Lemieux (1992-93 and 1987-88)
Wayne Gretzky (1985-86)

Crazy Kucherov stat🚨 Since December 31, he has as many assists as Connor McDavid and Nathan MacKinnon have points.

Could another Hart, Art Ross, and Ted Lindsay sweep be on the horizon for Kucherov, just like when he won all 3 awards in 2018–19? #LetsGoOilers #GoAvsGo #GoBolts pic.twitter.com/jDXklDsmHc
— Sam Len (@SamLenSports) March 24, 2026

Art Ross Race Tilting in Kucherov's Favor

Kucherov now sits at the top of the scoring race, and the gap feels larger than the numbers suggest. McDavid and MacKinnon remain elite, but Kucherov has created a different tier altogether.

There’s also context working in his favor. Tampa Bay has fewer games played than Edmonton, meaning Kucherov has more runway to extend his lead. In a race this tight, that detail could decide the outcome.

He’s already the back-to-back Art Ross Trophy winner, and a third straight would place him in historic territory alongside names like Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux, Jaromir Jagr, and Connor McDavid.

And while the awards may follow, they don’t define this run. Because what we’re watching isn’t just a hot streak. It’s history unfolding in real time.

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