Ben Bishop Backstops the Tampa Bay Lightning to a 5-0 Victory Over the New York Rangers by Tasha St. Pierre

Nov 25, 2013; Tampa, FL, USA; Tampa Bay Lightning quared Nikita Kucherov (56) skates with the puck against the New York Rangers during the second period at Tampa Bay Times Forum. New York Rangers defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning 5-0. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Now this is how you start your NHL career! Tonight, as we honored our captain Martin St. Louis for playing his 1,000th NHL game, yet another milestone was accomplished tonight. As the Tampa Bay Lightning shut out the New York Rangers 5-0, right wing Nikita Kucherov scored his very first NHL goal.

This was not just any first goal in the NHL. Kucherov scored this goal on his very first shot on his first shift of his very first NHL game. When you think of accomplishments like this, names like Mario Lemieux come to mind.

While Kucherov has a long way to go until he reaches the level of Super Mario, this is definitely a good start to get him on his way.

Right now, Kucherov leads the Lightning’s American Hockey League affiliate Syracuse Crunch in goals. So far this season he has 13 goals and 11 assists for 24 points in his 17 outings with the Crunch.

I think saying that Kucherov likes to score goals is a bit of an understatement. His offensive prowess this season reminds me a lot of the way that center Tyler Johnson played last season.

Take a look at Nikita Kucherov’s very first goal in the National Hockey League.

What did you think of Kucherov’s performance tonight? What kind of future do you think he has in the Tampa Bay Lightning ? Sound off in the comments below and let us know what you think.

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