Hockey player Nikita Kucherov was nominated for the Hart Trophy

Nikita Kucherov, the Russian forward of the Tampa Bay Lightning, has become a contender for the Hart Trophy, the most valuable player of the National Hockey League (NHL) regular season. This was announced on May 8 by the NHL press service in X (former. Twitter).

The three finalists, along with the Russian, included Canadians Connor McDavid from the Edmonton Oilers and Nathan McKinnon from the Colorado Avalanche.

According to the results of the regular season, 32-year-old Kucherov took second place in terms of the number of points scored (130) and assists (86). In both indicators, he was second only to McDavid.

Earlier, the striker was also among the nominees for the Ted Lindsay Award. This award is given to the best player of the regular season according to the version of the hockey players' union.

Vagaries of fate: which of the Russians will be lucky in the NHL playoffs

In the fight for the Stanley Cup, Malkin plays against Michkov, Panarin will fight Nichushkin, and Lyubushkin will face the diaspora from Minnesota

On May 2, the Tampa Bay Lightning defeated the Montreal Canadiens in the sixth game of the first round of the NHL playoffs. Russian forward Nikita Kucherov scored no points, but played his 158th game in the NHL playoffs, rising to a clean fifth place among Russians in the number of Stanley Cup games.