NEW YORK (April 19, 2024) – The 2023-24 National Hockey League regular season concluded with Tampa Bay Lightning right wing Nikita Kucherov capturing his second career Art Ross Trophy as the League’s scoring champion, Toronto Maple Leafs center Auston Matthews winning his third career Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy as the NHL’s goal-scoring leader and the Winnipeg Jets’ Connor Hellebuyck earning his first career William M. Jennings Trophy as the goaltender who plays at least 25 games for the team allowing the fewest goals.

Kucherov posted a franchise-record 144 points (44-100—144 in 81 GP) – the second-most by any player over the past 28 years – to finish four ahead of second-place Nathan MacKinnon of the Colorado Avalanche (51-89—140 in 82 GP) and earn his second Art Ross Trophy, following the 2018-19 campaign (41-87—128 in 82 GP). Kucherov became the second Lightning player to claim the award multiple times, joining Martin St. Louis (2012-13 and 2003-04), and the fourth active player with multiple wins, after Connor McDavid (5x), Sidney Crosby (2x) and Evgeni Malkin (2x).

Kucherov factored on exactly half of Tampa Bay’s 288 total goals (excluding shootout-deciding goals), marking the 12th instance in NHL history of a player registering points on at least 50 percent of his team’s scoring within a single season – and just the third occasion this century, after McDavid with the Edmonton Oilers in both 2020-21 (57.4%) and 2018-19 (50.7%). Kucherov finished 54 points ahead of his closest teammate (Brayden Point: 46-44—90 in 81 GP), the largest gap between a team’s top two scorers since the 2000-01 Florida Panthers (55: Pavel Bure: 59-33—92 in 82 GP and Viktor Kozlov: 14‑23—37 in 51 GP).

The 30-year-old Kucherov capped 2023-24 by becoming the fifth different player in NHL history – and first winger – to produce 100 assists in one season (April 17 vs. TOR). Overall, Kucherov found the scoresheet in 68 of his 81 appearances (84.0%), totaling 41 multi-point performances (t-2nd in the NHL), 23 three-point efforts (1st in the NHL and the most by any player since 1995-96) and eight games with at least four points (t-1st in the NHL).

Matthews scored a franchise-record 69 goals (69-38—107 in 81 GP) – the most by any player since 1995-96 – to close the campaign 12 ahead of second-place Sam Reinhart of the Panthers (57‑37—94 in 82 GP) and capture his third Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy, after wins in 2021-22 and 2020-21. Matthews became the second player to claim the Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy, first presented in 1998-99, at least three times (after Alex Ovechkin: 9x) and the 12th player in NHL history to outright lead the League in goals on at least three occasions. His 12-goal gap over Reinhart marked the largest by the NHL’s top two goal-scorers since 2007-08, when Ovechkin (65) finished 13 ahead of Ilya Kovalchuk (52).

Matthews opened the season by becoming the fifth player in League history – and second since the NHL’s inaugural campaign – to record hat tricks in each of his first two games, joining Ovechkin (2017-18), Cy Denneny (1917-18), Joe Malone (1917-18) and Reg Noble (1917-18). Matthews again scored hat tricks in consecutive appearances Feb. 15-17, making him the fifth player in League history to achieve the feat multiple times within a single season – after Wayne Gretzky (1983-84), Mike Bossy (1980-81), Malone (1917-18) and Noble (1917-18). Overall, Matthews became the 10th different NHL player – and first since Mario Lemieux in 1995-96 (6) – to record at least six hat tricks in one campaign.

The 26-year-old Matthews recorded 18 total multi-goal performances, the most since Alexander Mogilny in 1992-93 (24), and found the back of the net in 45 of his 81 contests (55.6%) – highlighted by a career-high eight-game goal streak from March 30 – April 13 (10-3—13). He also became the eighth different player in NHL history – and first since 1992-93 – to register at least 51 even-strength goals in a single campaign.

The Jets, led by Hellebuyck (37-19-4, 2.39 GAA, .921 SV%, 5 SO), yielded a League-low 199 goals to finish one clear of the Panthers (200) and win their first William M. Jennings Trophy – the closest race for the award since 2015-16, when the Anaheim Ducks (192) also prevailed by one goal over the Washington Capitals (193). Winnipeg allowed three or fewer goals in 65 of their 82 contests, spurred by a streak of 34 consecutive such games from Nov. 4 – Jan. 20 – tied with the 1928-29 New York Americans for the third-longest stretch in NHL history, behind only the 1928-29 Boston Bruins (44) and 2014-15 Minnesota Wild (35).

The 30-year-old Hellebuyck yielded three or fewer goals in 50 of his 60 total appearances – including a pair of 10-game streaks with two or fewer goals against (Nov. 17 – Dec. 16 and Dec. 22 – Jan. 20). He became the ninth different goaltender in NHL history to post multiple such stretches within a single season and just the third to do so in the modern era (since 1943-44), joining Marc-Andre Fleury (2007-08) and Harry Lumley (1953-54).

The 2019-20 Vezina Trophy winner finished the season among the top five goaltenders in the League in wins (2nd; 37), save percentage (2nd; .921), saves (2nd; 1,656), games played (3rd; 60), goals-against average (4th; 2.39) and shutouts (t-5th; 5).

The three winners will be celebrated in the “2024 NHL Regular Season Awards Show,” a half-hour special premiering on NHL Network on Saturday, April 27, at 3:30 p.m. ET. Hosted by Kathryn Tappen and Jason Demers and produced by NHL Productions, the special will feature interviews with the winners as well as highlights from the epic 2023-24 regular season. The show will be available on the NHL’s YouTube channel following the premiere.