Kucherov hits 30-goal plateau for 2nd straight season

It was a difficult night for the Tampa Bay Lightning, but the ever-consistent Nikita Kucherov just kept scoring.

The Lightning lost three forwards - Tyler Johnson, Vladislav Namestnikov, and Cedric Paquette - to injuries Thursday, but Kucherov scored twice to help Tampa Bay dismantle the Minnesota Wild 4-1.

Kucherov buried a wrister on the power play to open the scoring in the first period, then added an empty-netter late in the third to seal the victory.

The latter tally was his 30th, tying a career high that he set last season. He now has as many goals and assists as he had in all of 2015-16, accomplishing it in 18 fewer games this time around.

The 23-year-old has scored at least 28 goals in each of his last three seasons, and he's only in his fourth full campaign with the Lightning, who signed him to a three-year contract extension last October.