Nikita Kucherov is the clear favorite for the Art Ross Trophy

[snag]

Hopefully they both end up with 137...

touche lol

 

[RussianGuyovich]

Hahahahaha I'm gonna pretend I didn't see this. Love ya bro!

Turn your monitor on

 

[MacMacandBarbie]

It must be exhausting having to come in here and unironically defend a grown man that you have affixed your own personality to and posting persona

Well I’m being critical of Kucherov. Some might even feel I’m ’attacking’ him. That has nothing to do with the act of ‘defending’ someone.

Leave it to a Kucherov fan to not know what ‘defending’ actually means.

 

[DownIsTheNewUp]

I just can’t believe there have been people in this thread trying to call the race or make predictions. All 3 of these guys are capable of 5 or 6 points games and each has 15+ games left. No lead is safe.

 

[dubey]

I just can’t believe there have been people in this thread trying to call the race or make predictions. All 3 of these guys are capable of 5 or 6 points games and each has 15+ games left. No lead is safe.

Attention seeking mostly

 

[DistantThunderRep]

I actually want all 3 to tie. Has that ever happened? Has there been a shared Art Ross winner? Does the league default to more Goals for the Art Ross if there is a tie?

 

[abax44]

I actually want all 3 to tie. Has that ever happened? Has there been a shared Art Ross winner? Does the league default to more Goals for the Art Ross if there is a tie?

Goals, then fewer games, then whoever scored their first goal of the season sooner.

 

[DFC]

Not sure if I remember a better race than this. Probably the three best overall scorers in the game, each of them putting up absurd numbers for this era (two of them having career years), and it's going down to the wire. Whoever wins, it's been a great year for the Art Ross race.

 

[gotcha90]

I just can’t believe there have been people in this thread trying to call the race or make predictions. All 3 of these guys are capable of 5 or 6 points games and each has 15+ games left. No lead is safe.

Yup. McDavid finished with 36 in his final 14 in 20-21. Using that as an example, being 9 back right now with 18 remaining, he could go the next 4 games without a point and still make it to 140+ points and win the Art Ross.

 

[nturn06]

He is a winger aka the least important defensive position.


Your post demonstrates a lack of understanding of +/-

Plus minus is only useful comparing players of the same team. Tampa has been very bad defensively this year. Their D core is below average. Vasi has been below average.

Here is Tampa top 6 for most of the year. Kucherov has played with each of them except maybe Cirelli at different times.

Point: -14
Hagel: -2
Stamkos: -24
Paul: -19
Cirelli: -6
Kucherov: +2

Kucherov is the only reason they are in a playoff spot

Yet, there are many posters who keep saying that the Oilers only have one NHL caliber D-man, is Tampa's D really that much worse?

 

[Beyonder91]

Yet, there are many posters who keep saying that the Oilers only have one NHL caliber D-man, is Tampa's D really that much worse?

I'll just say this...

It's been fun to ask a number of my hockey watching friends (I'm in Toronto) to name Tampa's active defencemen at different times of the year... especially during some injuries. There were times Hedman was the only correct response.

It's been really bad... both on paper and the ice

 

[Video Nasty]

Yup. McDavid finished with 36 in his final 14 in 20-21. Using that as an example, being 9 back right now with 18 remaining, he could go the next 4 games without a point and still make it to 140+ points and win the Art Ross.

To add on to this, he had 8 games with either 3 or 4 points in those final 14.

People are crazy if they think this is remotely over, especially when the person capable of it has games in hand and almost certainly has an interest in not handing over a trophy that he’s won 3 straight years, if it’s remotely in reach to not do so.

 

[Cup or Bust]

People are crazy if they think this is remotely over

It is absolutely 100% over and McDavid has no chance in hell of winning the Art Ross Trophy this season. MacKinnon has it won without any shred of doubt. Give him the trophy now and the mods should stop people from embarrassing themselves thinking there is an ounce of chance of anyone else winning at this point and lock this nonsense up right now. JINXXXXXXXXXX

 

[WarriorOfGandhi]

Not sure if I remember a better race than this. Probably the three best overall scorers in the game, each of them putting up absurd numbers for this era (two of them having career years), and it's going down to the wire. Whoever wins, it's been a great year for the Art Ross race.

for sure

would be great if it comes down to game 82 with the Avs against the Oilers for all the marbles

 

[TheStatican]

Goals, then fewer games, then whoever scored their first goal of the season sooner.

You can always count on the NHL for coming up with the dumbest ideas like using that as a tiebreaker for the winner of the point scoring title.

 

[DFC]

I'll just say this...

It's been fun to ask a number of my hockey watching friends (I'm in Toronto) to name Tampa's active defencemen at different times of the year... especially during some injuries. There were times Hedman was the only correct response.

It's been really bad... both on paper and the ice

I believe there have been nights when Darren Raddysh, who looked destined for a career in the AHL until just last year, has been our #2. He might actually have been our 2nd best, performance-wise, regardless of injuries etc. Everyone else has been bad.

To make matters worse, Vasilevskiy's season has been a roller-coaster ride between "average" (that's as high as the highs have gotten) and "abysmal."

I don't see any argument that this team would be in a playoff position, or even better than the bottom-10, if not for Kucherov single-handedly outscoring our problems on D.

 

[Toby91ca]

You can always count on the NHL for coming up with the dumbest ideas like using that as a tiebreaker for the winner of the point scoring title.

Well, to be fair, the likelihood of getting past the first 2 tiebreakers is pretty close to zero. The scoring lead has only been tied in the league's 106 year existence 3 times (1 of which in short season), none of those 3 times got past the first tiebreaker, but was close a couple times.

1 - 1961/62 - Hull and Bathgate each had 84pts, but Hull had 50 goals to Bathgate's 28.
2 - 1979/80 - Gretzky's rookie year he had 137pts to Dionne's 137pts and Dionne won the scoring title with 53g to Wayne's 51.
3 - 1994/95 - Lindros and Jagr had 70pts each and Jagr had 32 goals to Lindros' 29.

Another close one was 1959/60 - Both Hull and Horvath had 39 goals, but Hull had 81pts to Horvath's 80pts. Horvath played 2 less games though, so if he had 1 more assist he would have won the scoring title on the 2nd tiebreaker.....but never go to the 1st tiebreaker as they weren't tied.

 

[Ninety7]

???.... lol gotta love it

Some pretty rich takes in here from you.

You declared the race over!

 

[Sentinel]

Here to see if Kucherov has been mentioned in this thread... nope.

 

[Video Nasty]

Here to see if Kucherov has been mentioned in this thread... nope.

 

[MacMacandBarbie]

I'll just say this...

It's been fun to ask a number of my hockey watching friends (I'm in Toronto) to name Tampa's active defencemen at different times of the year... especially during some injuries. There were times Hedman was the only correct response.

It's been really bad... both on paper and the ice

Hasn’t Cernak been healthy pretty much all year? Same with De Haan who has been a staple for the bottom pairing. The injuries are bad but the overall d core is still better than what the oilers are working with IMO.

 

[MacMacandBarbie]

I believe there have been nights when Darren Raddysh, who looked destined for a career in the AHL until just last year, has been our #2. He might actually have been our 2nd best, performance-wise, regardless of injuries etc. Everyone else has been bad.

To make matters worse, Vasilevskiy's season has been a roller-coaster ride between "average" (that's as high as the highs have gotten) and "abysmal."

I don't see any argument that this team would be in a playoff position, or even better than the bottom-10, if not for Kucherov single-handedly outscoring our problems on D.

I still firmly believe that they would be fighting for a playoff spot but be closer to where the caps are without Kucherov.

Lightning fans should know that it’s Hedman that makes that team go. You take him off and leave Kucherov and that team is in the lottery.

This is not to take anything from the season Kucherov is having. But if you take McDavid off the oilers they would be a lottery contender.

 

[Five Alarm Fire]

I still firmly believe that they would be fighting for a playoff spot but be closer to where the caps are without Kucherov.

Lightning fans should know that it’s Hedman that makes that team go. You take him off and leave Kucherov and that team is in the lottery.

This is not to take anything from the season Kucherov is having. But if you take McDavid off the oilers they would be a lottery contender.

Who is scoring if there’s no Kucherov? We are a one line team 5v5 and our power play largely goes through him. Look at Point’s stats the year Kucherov was out, he can’t carry a line by himself. There’s no chance we’re fighting for a playoff spot without him.

 

[KevinFinnerty]

Mack has 2 more GP than Kuch. he'll beat him in the race when they both have 82. my money is on Kucherov.

 

[Sentinel]

View attachment 836783

I'm sure this means something to somebody... no, scratch that -- I'm not sure.