Tampa Bay forward Nikita Kucherov, the defending league MVP, was back on the first line during morning skate on Thursday, in preparation for the Lightning's home game vs. the Dallas Stars.
After a costly turnover, Kucherov spent most of the third period and then overtime on the bench of the Lightning's 4-3 win over the Ottawa Senators on Tuesday. It was a particularly surprising move, given Kucherov had scored earlier in the game.
But Thursday morning, last year's Hart Trophy winner was back on the Lightning's top line, with Brayden Point and Ondrej Palat.