Nikita Kucherov breaks Steven Stamkos' Lightning all-time scoring mark in loss to Mammoth

Eduardo A. Encina, Tampa Bay Times on Oct 25, 2026

Published in Hockey

By clicking submit, I authorize Arcamax and its affiliates to: (1) use, sell, and share my information for marketing purposes, including cross-context behavioral advertising, as described in our Privacy Policy , (2) add to information that I provide with other information like interests inferred from web page views, or data lawfully obtained from data brokers, such as past purchase or location data, or publicly available data, (3) contact me or enable others to contact me by email or other means with offers for different types of goods and services, and (4) retain my information while I am engaging with marketing messages that I receive and for a reasonable amount of time thereafter. I understand I can opt out at any time through an email that I receive, or by clicking here

It was fitting that the point that put Nikita Kucherov atop the Lightning’s all-time scoring list came on an assist.

His colleagues around the league regularly have voted him the game’s top playmaker, noting his ability to set up his teammates for scoring with innate vision and a mind that is always two steps ahead.

With the primary assist on Brayden Point’s power-play goal in the first period of Saturday’s game at Utah, Kucherov surpassed Steven Stamkos — his mentor and a former No. 1 overall pick — to become the franchise’s all-time leading scorer.

Kucherov tallied his 1,138th career point in his 890th game, taking 192 fewer games — more than two full seasons — than Stamkos did in his 16 seasons with the Lightning before signing with following the 2023-24 season.

With the Lightning leading 2-1 and just over seven minutes remaining in the first period, Kucherov rifled a slap shot from his spot in the right circle on the power play. It was stopped in traffic by Utah goaltender Karel Vejmelka, but Point pounced on the rebound from the crease and backhanded a shot into the net.

Point immediately pointed to Kucherov — the two have combined on so many goals over the years — and as the puck was retrieved from net the entire Lightning bench came out to congratulate Kucherov. They were met by a chorus of boos from a Delta Center crowd clearly unaware of the importance of the moment.

The Mammoth would go on to win, 5-4 in overtime.

With 733 assists, Kucherov already has surpassed current teammate Victor Hedman’s career assist record. He is 150 goals (555-405) shy of Stamkos’ team goals record but currently sits in second place, well ahead of Vincent Lecavalier (383) and Martin St. Louis (365), both of whom have their numbers hanging from the rafters of Benchmark International Arena.

While Kucherov’s future with the Lightning stands very much in limbo — the team has been unable to extend him beyond this season — coach Jon Cooper said Kucherov unquestionably will go down as the best player in franchise history. Stamkos long joked that Kucherov would break all of his team records. No player who has ever worn a Lightning uniform has scored at Kucherov’s pace. He’s averaged 1.28 points per game for his career, and Stamkos is the only other Tampa Bay player to average more than a point a game (1.05).

Adding to an unparalleled list of personal accolades — two Hart Memorial Trophies, two Ted Lindsay Awards, and three Art Ross Trophies — Kucherov also was also the leading scorer on the Lightning’s back-to-back Stanley Cup-winning teams in 2020 and 2021.