Nikita Kucherov will return to the Lightning lineup on Thursday
This time, the Lightning aren’t waiting until the playoffs. Nikita Kucherov is back.
Kucherov practiced with the Lightning this afternoon on a line with Brayden Point and Ondrej Palat. After the practice, head coach Jon Cooper said that Kucherov is ready to go and that he expects him to be in the lineup when the Lightning take on the Calgary Flames tonight.
UPDATE: Nikita Kucherov is back tonight for #tblightning, per Jon Cooper. Hasn't played since Game 3 vs #Caps and lower body surgery. "I expect him to play," Cooper said. "He's ready to go."
— Joe Smith (@JoeSmithTB) January 6, 2022Kucherov suffered a lower-body injury in the third game of the season against the Washington Capitals, underwent surgery on Oct. 26, and missed the past 32 games.
Last year, Kucherov controversially missed the entire regular season after undergoing hip surgery and returned to the Lightning right at the start of the playoffs when teams aren’t forced to be salary cap compliant. There was some skepticism the Lightning would again leave Kucherov on the Long-Term Injured Reserve until the 2022 playoffs, but that won’t be the case.
The Lightning have a 22-8-5 record on the season, good for sixth in the Eastern Conference in terms of points percentage.