BRANDON, Fla. – Nikita Kucherov is one of the league’s most dynamic players.



He’s coming off a career-high 100-point season.



He was an MVP candidate for most of the year, and the Lightning wouldn’t have gotten to Game 7 of the Eastern Conference final without him.



But, unfortunately, the lasting image of Kucherov, 25, for many Lightning fans was the vacant look on his face following Devante Smith-Pelly’s crushing goal for the Capitals in Game 6 of the conference final.



Kucherov looked frustrated, disengaged for a good part of that series.



And the All-Star takes the blame, vowing to make sure it won’t happen again. He knows it can’t.



“I definitely didn’t feel I played my best hockey I could play,” Kucherov told The Athletic. “It just happened to be that period of time. Sometimes things go well for you, sometimes you’re not feeling right. Something is off.