Nikita Kucherov left Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Semifinals for the Tampa Bay Lightning with an injury early within the playing period of a 3-2 overtime loss to the NY Islanders on Wednesday. Kucherov left 2:22 into the sport at Nassau Coliseum, 14 seconds after he seemed to jam his right arm or shoulder while hitting Islanders center Mathew Barzal. He struggled to end the shift and visited the room with a Lightning trainer at the stoppage live.
Kucherov was cross-checked from behind by Islanders defenseman Scott Mayfield earlier within the shift. No penalty was called. Kucherov fell to the ice and got up slowly before rejoining the play. The best-of-7 series is tied. Game 7 is at Tampa Bay on Friday. Kucherov leads the NHL in scoring within the Stanley Cup Playoffs with 27 points (five goals, 22 assists) in 17 games after he missed the whole 56-game regular season while recovering from hip surgery he had Dec. 29. Kucherov led the NHL in playoff scoring last season with 34 points (seven goals, 27 assists) in 25 games, helping the Lightning win the Stanley Cup.
