The Tampa Bay Lightning welcomed Brayden Point back to the lineup when the team defeated the Pittsburgh Penguins to kick off their two-game road trip on Tuesday (Nov. 19). He returned from being sidelined for four games after suffering a lower-body injury against the Winnipeg Jets on Nov. 3, finding himself back on the first line between Jake Guentzel and Nikita Kucherov. The veteran center looked like he never left, scoring two of his team’s three goals in a 3-2 overtime win. They didn’t score in the first or second period, but finally found the back of the net in the third.
Point Capitalizes vs. Penguins
Later in the period, when the Penguins had a poor line change, Point took advantage and found the back of the net for his first of the night to make it 2-1. Ryan McDonagh was credited with the primary assist, and Darren Raddysh with the secondary. Anthony Cirelli tied up the game at 2-2 late in the third to force overtime.
Despite heading into the third down two goals, Point told his team to stick to their game: “We know what makes our team successful and that’s kind of simplifying our game.”
We saw the Lightning do exactly that in the final period. They were able to play the final 20 shift by shift and slow down the game. This method allowed for the team to capitalize.
Point is known to show up in critical moments, and that’s what he did, netting the winner early in overtime for his second of the night.
In his post-game interview, Point talked about the team’s successful third period: “We used our legs; we have a lot of guys that can skate. We kind of pressured them, and we were able to spend some quality zone time in there.”
Cirelli noted that Point’s return helped the team find success: “He runs our engine, and he scores goals, and he makes plays. He’s great all over the ice. Obviously, with him out, we are missing a big piece of our team.”
Lightning Depend on Point
The Lightning went into Tuesday’s game on a two-game win streak. Before the team’s six-day break in early November, they had a four-game losing streak, and Point was not in the lineup against the St. Louis Blues and Philadelphia Flyers on Nov. 5 and Nov. 7, respectively.
The team saw a decline in performance with Point not in the lineup as the Lightning fell in close games against the Blues and the Flyers. Without Point, who has six goals on the power play this season, they struggled on the man advantage. Before his injury, he had 13 points, with three goals. Those three goals were scored against the Nashville Predators (Oct. 28), Minnesota Wild (Nov. 1), and Jets.
Without Point, the team struggled for three consecutive games, including the game against the Jets where he left the first period early. Having him back in the lineup helped bring momentum back, especially in the offensive zone.
Point was named the first star of the game versus the Penguins, as the Lightning extended their winning streak to three.
During the team’s second game of their road trip, Point found the back of the net only 1:51 into the first period, setting the tone of the proceedings. His presence on the bench helped boost the on-ice presence as in the first period alone the Lightning found the back of the net three times.
Point is currently tied with linemate Nikita Kucherov for goals with 11. Since his return from injury, he has scored in back-to-back games and leaves the road trip with three points (all goals). Point continues to show his ability on the ice and why he is a top center in the NHL.
