After Hedman passed Marty St. Louis (588) as the Lightning’s all-time assist leader, he joked that his record would be short-lived. Kucherov stands just 15 behind him (with 575 in 747 career games, compared to Hedman’s 590 in 1,075).

Saturday’s contest against Toronto wrapped up a busy stretch of five games over eight days, and the Lightning went just 2-3-0 in those contests. The three losses all occurred at home. This one came against a division rival that entered the game just two points ahead of the Lightning in the standings.

According to NHL insider Elliotte Friedman, Tampa Bay Lightning superstar Nikita Kucherov will not be in the lineup for the club’s matchup against the Toronto Maple Leafs. This is certainly a tough blow for the Lightning, as Kucherov is their top forward, and the Maple Leafs are one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference so far this season.