MacKinnon and Kucherov are currently tied at 116 points.
As much of the discussion on individual award trophies has centered around the Hart for Nathan MacKinnon and Norris for Cale Makar, there a little matter of another business to settle before the regular season concludes. That is the race for the Art Ross Trophy presented to the player who led the league in points for the regular season.
Currently there are only two candidates in this race, Colorado Avalanche’s own superstar center Nathan MacKinnon and Tampa Bay Lightning winger Nikita Kucherov. The battle has heated up recently with each presently tied at 116 points. For quite a while MacKinnon had a healthy lead in points and was challenged only by Edmonton Oilers’ Leon Draisaitl but his injury now puts Draisaitl 10 points back and he isn’t certain to return to the ice before playoffs begin. Kucherov getting hot and scoring 20 points in his last 10 games has made this a two-horse race, which is where we stand today.
The chase for the Art Ross is interesting for several reasons, one being this is one of the few trophies MacKinnon hasn’t won yet. Second, voters might look to the league’s leader in points when determining their Hart trophy votes for league’s MVP and considering Kucherov won the Art Ross last year but not Hart it could be something on their minds. Either way, the race is something fun to follow and make the last few regular season games interesting.
The remaining schedule for MacKinnon:
4/10 vs. Vancouver
4/12 at LA Kings
4/13 at Anaheim
The remaining schedule for Kucherov:
4/11 vs. Detroit
4/13 vs. Buffalo
4/15 vs. Florida
4/17 at NY Rangers
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