5 Takeaways from Lightning vs. Panthers Game 1

2. Kucherov on his Game

Nikita Kucherov did not exactly look like himself in round one. He still got his points, but something always looked off. He was clearly battling through something, possibly an illness.

In game one, Kucherov had his feet moving and was a constant threat and even had a few impressive back-checks on defense. Kucherov’s skating created a number of chances including the opening goal where he set up Corey Perry with a beautiful assist for a powerplay goal. Kucherov completely embarrassed Aaron Ekblad for what ended up being the highlight of the night.