Nikita Kucherov is carving a path towards becoming one of the top Russian goal scorers in NHL history.
The Tampa Bay Lightning winger recorded his 40th goal of the season during Friday's game against Montreal, reaching that mark for the first time in his career just two months shy of his 24th birthday.
Related - Watch: Kucherov rifles 40th past Price
Here's the list of Russian-born players to reach 40 goals at age 23 or younger, per StatsCenter: Alex Ovechkin, Evgeni Malkin, Ilya Kovalchuk, Pavel Bure, and Alexander Mogilny.
Pretty good company to be keeping, especially for a player drafted 58th overall (2011).
Kucherov also become only the second player to hit 40 goals in the NHL this season, with Sidney Crosby being the first.
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