The Tampa Bay Lightning will be without Brayden Point versus the Atlantic Division rival Boston Bruins on Tuesday as head coach Jon Cooper has elected to scratch the talented center after he missed a team meeting, per FanDuel Sports Network’s Gabby Shirley.
In Point’s place, 22-year-old center Jack Finley is set to make his NHL debut after being recalled earlier Tuesday. A second-round selection by the Lightning in the 2020 NHL Draft, Finley has made 10 appearances with the minor-league affiliate Syracuse Crunch this season in which he has registered two goals and four assists for six points. Finley has skated part of four seasons with Syracuse, wrapping up the 2023-24 campaign with a career high of 32 points coming in 52 games.
For Point, Tuesday’s absence marks his fifth of the season following a four-game stretch in mid-November when he was out of the lineup with a lower-body injury. In all, through 37 appearances in 2024-25, Point sits third in Lightning scoring with 47 points counting 25 goals and 22 assists.
A 2014 third-round selection by the Lightning, the two-time Stanley Cup winner has made 617 total appearances with the franchise, collecting 289 goals with 311 assists for 600 points. Point has reached the 90-point plateau on three occasions, including his 46-goal, 44-assist finish through 81 games a year ago.
In December, the 28-year-old Calgary native was named to the Canadian squad that will compete at the 4 Nations Face-Off to be held next month in Boston and Montreal.
Entering Tuesday action, the Lightning sit third place in the Atlantic Division with a record of 23-15-3 and 49 points. Tampa Bay has qualified for the playoffs each of the past seven seasons, but has witnessed first-round exits the past two springs, coming at the hands of the Toronto Maple Leafs and Florida Panthers.
