The Tampa Bay Lightning finished March with a respectable 9-5-1 record. They overcame some hiccups in the first half of the month to win six of their last eight and finish on a three-game winning streak. They sit in second place in the Atlantic Division.

Three players were key above all others in this push, and they get the nod in this edition of the Lightning Three Stars of the Month.

Third Star: Ryan McDonagh

Since the three stars can be determined by these types of milestones for individual games, the same can be done for the three stars of the month. Ryan McDonagh gets a special shout-out this month, not just because he played well in March but because he played his 1,000th game in the NHL.

Of those 1,000 games, 340 have been played in a Lightning sweater. We’ll have to wait and see if he sticks around long enough to even approach the 516 games he played with the New York Rangers, but one-third of his career games is enough to cement him into Lightning lore. It helps that the defense seriously missed his presence while he was in Nashville, too.

As for his performance on the ice in March, he had one of his better months on the scoresheet. He had nine of his 28 points on the season and averaged a point per game in the final eight games of the month.

Second Star: Jake Guentzel

Another big month has come and gone, and Jake Guentzel proved his offseason acquisition was brilliant. He scored 10 of his 37 goals this season in March alone and averaged more than a point per game. In total, he had 10 goals and six assists for 16 points in 15 games.

He had five multipoint games, including one where he had a hat trick in the 6-5 comeback win over the Buffalo Sabres on March 6. It was his second hat trick of the season. His three power-play goals got him to 16 total on the season, which is currently the most in the NHL.

At this pace, Guentzel should break his career high for goals in a season (40). However, he trails his career high for points by 12 with nine games to go. If he keeps up his wild pace from the last five games (1.6 points per game), then he’s going to fly past it. But being realistic, he’ll finish the season close to it.

Still, finishing the season with more than 40 goals is already more than enough to prove that his arrival in Tampa Bay is a success.

First Star: Nikita Kucherov

Nobody was touching Nikita Kucherov for the top spot this month. He finished with six goals and 17 assists for 23 points in 14 games. He had four games in which he had three points or more. Not only that, but he only had three games in which he didn’t find the scoresheet. It was a very on-brand month. His 23 points are tied with Vegas Golden Knights’ Jack Eichel for the most points this month heading into March 31.

He finished the month on an eight-game point streak and was responsible for half the scoring or better in six of those eight games.

This strong performance elevated him to the top of the Art Ross Trophy race once again. Entering March 31, he is tied with Nathan MacKinnon for the most points in the NHL with 109. MacKinnon plays on March 31, so he has a chance to start off April in the lead. But he has slowed down a bit by his standards as of late. He has seven points in nine games. He’s producing, nonetheless, but this has given Kucherov plenty of opportunity to catch up.

With three weeks to go, the Lightning will likely see the division race go down to the wire. Kucherov will likely see the same situation for the scoring race. There are plenty of chances to land a spot in the final three stars of the month for the regular season with the races ahead.