In a last-minute surprise, the Tampa Bay Lightning will be without their leading scorer for Sunday's matinee against the Montreal Canadiens.
Forward Nikita Kucherov was scratched after taking warmups and is listed as day-to-day with an upper-body injury, the team said minutes before puck drop.
It is unclear when the injury occurred. The Russian star also missed a week early in December with an undisclosed ailment.
In 52 games, Kucherov places second leaguewide with 57 assists to go with 25 goals. His 82 points are third in the NHL behind Colorado's Nathan MacKinnon and Edmonton's Leon Draisaitl.
With Russia not involved in the 4 Nations Face-Off, Kucherov will have two weeks to rest up before Tampa Bay's next game on Feb. 23 against the Seattle Kraken.
