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Tampa Bay Lightning’s Nikita Kucherov secured the Hart Trophy, recognizing him as the NHL’s Most Valuable Player, marking his second time receiving this distinction, having previously earned it in 2019.
This announcement from the league came on Thursday, ahead of the fifth game in the Stanley Cup championship series.
Kucherov distinguished himself by achieving the highest points-per-game average among all competitors, tallying 1.71, based on 44 goals and 86 assists. His total of 130 points placed him just behind Edmonton’s Connor McDavid, who accumulated 138 points.
In the balloting conducted by members of the Professional Hockey Writers Association, McDavid finished a mere 10 points behind. Nathan MacKinnon of Colorado clinched the third spot, with Macklin Celebrini from San Jose coming in fourth.
Kucherov outscored his closest teammate, Jake Guentzel, by a margin of 42 points. He had been ranked third in the Hart Trophy voting the previous year and second during the 2023-24 season.
