EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsTampa Bay Lightning star Nikita Kucherov won the Hart Trophy as the NHL's MVP for the second time on Thursday.He finished 10 points ahead of Edmonton's Connor McDavid, a three-time winner, in the closest Hart Trophy vote since 2001-02.Colorado's Nathan MacKinnon was third in voting by the Professional Hockey Writers Association. It was the first time under the current system that all three finalists received at least 25% of first-place votes. Kucherov, who first won the award in 2019, had 44 goals and 86 assists for 130 points this season -- including 104 points in a 50-game span and 42 more than his closest teammate -- and led the NHL with 1.71 points per game.The 130 points ranked second in the league to McDavid (138).Kucherov was third in Hart Trophy voting a year ago and second in 2023-24. He became the third player to go seven-plus years between Hart Trophy wins, joining Jean Beliveau (8 years) and Sidney Crosby (7 years).The Associated Press contributed to this report.
