Cooper, Kucherov join Stanley Cup Playoffs top 10 lists in Sunday’s win

A pair of Tampa Bay Lightning mainstays continue to climb the NHL record books as both Lightning head coach Jon Cooper and forward Nikita Kucherov entered top 10 lists during Sunday’s 3-2 win over the Montreal Canadiens.

Cooper earned his 90th career victory in the Stanley Cup Playoffs for a pair of NHL honors, while Kucherov also made history with his usual magician-level playmaking. Both have been key pieces in Tampa Bay’s First Round matchup against the Montreal Canadiens, and that continued on Sunday as the Lightning evened the series 2-2.

Tampa Bay will look to earn another win in Game 5 of the series, set for 7 p.m. Wednesday at Benchmark International Arena in Tampa.

Cooper gets win 90 

When the Stanley Cup Playoffs begin, teams have to be playing their best brand of hockey.

The dedication, pace, focus and intensity—and other aspects of the game—are amplified, and Lightning players will tell you they aren’t the only ones who hold themselves to a higher standard once best-of-seven hockey begins.

Just look at Cooper, who on Sunday earned the 90th Stanley Cup Playoffs victory of his career, passing Glen Sather (Edmonton) for sole possession of the second-most playoff wins by a head coach with a single franchise in NHL history.

Tampa Bay beat the Montreal Canadiens 3-2 in Game 4 of their First Round matchup at the Bell Centre on Sunday to move Cooper up the record books. The only coach remaining above Cooper is New York Islanders staple Al Arbour, who helped the Islanders earn 119 wins and four Stanley Cups.

Defenseman Erik Cernak said Cooper elevates the team even further come playoff time.

“He’s an unbelievable coach,” Cernak said. “Coop is always on top of his game, even if it's regular season or playoffs. Obviously in the playoffs, everybody's elevating their job. As players and coaches, everybody's on another gear. It's great to see what Coop and the coaching staff can do, and we’re happy to have him.”

Whether it’s through a whiteboard or a pregame chat, one of the winningest head coaches in NHL history—his 622 regular season wins for Tampa Bay rank third all-time among coaches with a single franchise—brings his best every day.

Cooper’s 90th playoff victory on Sunday also put him inside the top 10 for career playoff wins among all head coaches in NHL history, and his next win will surpass Mike Babcock (90) for ninth.

“He’s just such a good motivator,” forward Gage Goncalves said. “He wants to get the best out of you, and he knows how to work each guy to get the best out of them. As a group, when he comes in here and talks, he really inspires us. Obviously he's unbelievable with systems and all of that. But those pregame speeches, if they don't get you fired up, I don't know what will.”

Kucherov does it again

A Kucherov climb up the NHL record books is nothing new, and he added another bullet point to his otherworldly resume in Game 4.

The forward recorded primary assists on both of Brandon Hagel’s goals, setting up the game-tying goal early in the third period with a perfectly placed pass to the slot on the power play before firing a shot toward the net in the dying minutes of the game that deflected off of Hagel and in for the game-winner.

Kucherov’s second assist was the 123rd of his postseason career, tying Jaromir Jagr for the 10th-most by any player all-time. The 31-year-old forward also recorded his 32nd career multi-assist playoff game, tying him for fourth all-time. Only Wayne Gretzky (72), Mark Messier (40) and Connor McDavid (33) have more.

“I thought this was Kuch’s best game,” Jon Cooper said after Game 4. “When we needed him, he was there for us."

On a big night for the Lightning, Kucherov also earned career playoff points 176 and 177, passing Sergei Fedorov for the second-most by a Russian-born player all-time. Only Evgeni Malkin has more with 183 points.

“He’s the best player in the world,” Hagel said of Kucherov. “He’s been doing it continuously every single year…You put that guy out with any five guys, he’s gonna make the guys around him better. It’s fun to watch him out there and fun to see what he can do with that puck because those are the type of guys you want to learn from, and it’s a pleasure."

Kucherov’s five assists in 2026 sit tied for fourth in the league this postseason, and his six points tie for seventh.

His next assist will be the 124th of his career, tying Fedorov for the most by a Russian-born player and ninth overall in NHL history.