Kucherov Leads Tampa’s Ice Time in Road Loss

Nikita Kucherov skated a team-high total but had a quiet night offensively in a 4-1 loss. He logged 23:15 of ice time — the most among Tampa Bay skaters — and took 21 shifts, but recorded two shots on goal, no points and was minus-one, with one giveaway and no takeaways or penalties. On the power play he had no goals or assists.

Through six games this season Kucherov has one goal and seven assists for eight points, and his season average ice time is 21.8 minutes per game, so tonight’s 23:15 was slightly above his per-game figure but produced less offense than his early-season scoring pace. The loss was a team defeat, but for Kucherov the box score shows a high-usage night that didn’t translate into points.