The Bolts Best Player of the Month for October will see you now. It’s Nikita Kucherov. Always has been.

The Lightning winger notched 9 goals and 8 assists over the course of the first ten games of the season. It was yet another classic Kucherov stretch, capped off by a three-point night against the Avalanche to lead the Bolts to a 7-3 start.

As most things go with Kucherov, the three points in Denver were not merely points. They were highlight-reel stuff—viral no-look assists to Jake Guentzel and lasers in front of the net.

“That was just unbelievable,” Guentzel said of the pass. “It’s just eyes in the back of his head, and you know, I had an open net.”

What a dish and finish pic.twitter.com/XQPxzNW0Nf

— Tampa Bay Lightning (@TBLightning) October 31, 2024

Kucherov also kicked off the season with a hat trick on opening night, grabbing four points in a win over Carolina. He’ll look to keep up his scorching pace in a road matchup against Minnesota Friday night.