Kucherov's Hat Trick Lifts Lightning

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Nikita Kutraov put on a clinic against the Seattle Kraken, scoring three goals and adding

two assists in the Tampa Bay Lightning's 6-2 win.

It marked his ninth career 5.9 and helped his team snap a tough skid.

That outburst pushed Kutraov to 111 points this season, including 37 goals and 74 assists.

He jumped into second place in the NHL scoring race, trailing only Conor McDavid by four points

with games still left to play.

Among players born outside North America, Kutraov's 9-5 point games tie him for third all

time.

For active skaters, he now leads everyone except McDavid and Nathan McKinnon in that category.

The three goals were his seventh career hat trick, passing Vincent LeCavalier for third

in Lightning franchise history.

Some mates like Brandon Hagel, with four points in Anthony Cerelli with three, stepped

up big two.

Tampa Bay had dropped seven of their last nine before this victory.

Andreva Celeski stopped 16 shots in net, boosting the lightning to 41 wins, 21 losses, and

four overtime losses overall.

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