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“And he just keeps getting better,” said Stamkos. “You know how many multiple-game streaks he’s had — three-point games, four-point games, five-point games? You know how hard that is in today’s game?

“And he doesn’t do it in a Connor McDavid way, going 100 miles an hour so no one can catch him. He’s an artist. He slows the game down, thinking a step ahead, seeing everything, and every time you’re on the ice with him, you expect a chance.”

The description by Stamkos is familiar for those with a long memory. Far-fetched as the comparison may be, that’s how people used to describe Wayne Gretzky.

He saw what others couldn’t see. He made passes others couldn’t make.

At the end of the night, when you checked the score sheet, you thought Gretzky had a great night, but you didn’t realize how great until you totalled up the numbers.

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This year, the numbers border on the ridiculous for Kucherov. He’s had 29 multi-point games, but even the breakdown of those scoring statistics are overwhelming. Kucherov, the left-shooting right winger, has had two five-point games, five four-point games, eight three-point games and 14 two-point games on his way to what has to be a Hart Trophy-winning season. How can he not win as the best player on the best team, the best scorer in the NHL?

“He has to win, doesn’t he?” said Tampa defenceman Ryan McDonagh. “He leaves such a large imprint on the game every night. How many four-point games has he had? And who has five-point games? You’d think the way this season is going for us and for him, he’d relax and take his foot off the gas pedal. But he doesn’t do that. He just keeps on going.”