The Tampa Bay Lightning were eliminated by the Montreal Canadiens on Sunday. Now, Lightning superstar Nikita Kucherov is facing criticism for trying to get under Canadiens goaltender Jakub Dobes’ skin.
The Montreal Canadiens advanced to the second playoff round with a 2–1 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning, despite recording only nine shots on goal in the game.
READ MORE: Corey Perry shares what he said to Canadiens players
Zero shots in period 2
The Canadiens had zero shots in the second period—a historic feat they had never previously recorded since shots on goal were first tracked in the 1959–1960 season. Despite that, they still managed to win 2–1 after the game-winning goal was scored by Alex Newhook with nine minutes left in the third period.
“I think it’s a big moment. We’re a young group, a young team, so to be able to rise to the occasion in a big game like this just shows what we’re capable of. We’re a hard team to beat where we’re at right now,” Newhook told reporters after the game. The Canadiens will now face the Buffalo Sabres in round two, starting Wednesday in Buffalo.
Nikita Kucherov under fire
For the Lightning, the season is over earlier than they had hoped. They have not won a playoff round since 2022. Nikita Kucherov, who scored 130 points in the regular season, did not register a point in the game. Sunday’s game was Kucherov’s seventh Game 7 without a point.
To top it all off, he was also heavily criticized by Ron MacLean on the Sportsnet broadcast. After the second period, Kucherov skated over to Canadiens goaltender Jakub Dobes and said something to him—unnecessary, according to the panel.
“I’d like a two-minute unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on that,” he said on the broadcast.
Fans are also going after Nikita Kucherov online for his actions.
“Can Kucherov go a playoff series without being a douche? The guy’s a good player and doesn’t need to do the cheap things he does,” one fan wrote on X.
“Kucherov is a dirtbag like that,” another wrote.
“Kucherov the playoff choker,” a third chimed in.
You can watch the incident below.
READ MORE: Nikita Kucherov called out for major on-ice incident
