Point returns for Lightning in Game 1 of Cup Final
Forward missed 10 games with lower-body injury
© Claus Andersen/Getty Images
Point, who had missed 10 games since sustaining a lower-body injury in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference First Round against the Toronto Maple Leafs on May 14, had practiced the past two days on the third line with Nick Paul and Ross Colton and in his usual spot in the bumper position on the first power-play unit.
"Obviously, it's one of our top players, so whenever you have a guy like him go down, you don't really want that," Lightning forward Pierre-Edouard Bellemare said. "That being said, him being back, you know what he brings to the team with his speed and his creativity and his consistency. So mostly you're excited for him to be back, just going through the adversity of an injury at the beginning of the playoffs and all the questions and all the media talking about it and the team responding the right way and him being really patient and not stressing to come back, like trust the process to come back, and now having a chance to come back, I think that's the biggest part that we're happy about. We're all really proud of him and excited for him to be able to play."
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It's been a long road back for Point, who had been skating on his own or with the Lightning's extra players for nearly two weeks prior to Monday. When he was injured in Toronto, it was unclear whether he'd get the chance to play again this season, but Point said he tried not to think about that.
"It's been tough," Point said Tuesday. "You want to be out there. That's why we play is to play at this time of the year. But the team has been playing so well that it made it easier just to focus on rehab and trying to get healthy."
After the Lightning pulled out a 2-1 victory in Game 7 against the Maple Leafs, they swept the Florida Panthers in second round before rallying from 2-0 down to defeat the New York Rangers in six games in the Eastern Conference Final.
"It's been inspiring," Point said. "They've played fantastic hockey. Guys have worked extremely hard to get to this point and sacrificed their bodies a lot to get to this point. So it was great to watch. It really helped me just to focus on trying to get back just because they were playing so well."
Meanwhile, Point's teammates were trying to extend the Lightning's season long enough so he could rejoin them and help their bid to win the Stanley Cup for the third straight season.
"Definitely that was something in everybody's head," Lightning forward Nikita Kucherov said. "Just we didn't know how long he's injured. Everybody had to step up and play the right way and play for each other, and doesn't matter who's in the lineup, so he can have a chance to be playing the Final if we make it. I think we're all excited to see him back."
Point played a big role in Tampa Bay winning the Stanley Cup in each of the past two seasons, leading the NHL with 14 playoff goals in 2020 and 2021. This postseason, he has four points (two goals, two assists) in seven games, including the overtime goal in a 4-3 victory in Game 6 against the Maple Leafs.
"It's massive [getting Point back]," Lightning defenseman Zach Bogosian said. "Just getting to know him over the years and knowing how competitive he is and how much he really wants to win, even the past two rounds that he hasn't been in the lineup, he's been a huge part of our locker room. So to see him come back and to see him work as hard as he has, it's obviously awesome to see and just to have him back on the ice with the guys is a huge boost for us."
Cooper said how much Point plays will be determined by how he feels.
"Brayden Point, he's an elite player in this league and he will play his minutes accordingly of how he's responding," Cooper said. "It's tough to not play and then jump right into a Stanley Cup Final game. … But a lot of it's going to be on how he's feeling, and we'll see. These Game 1s are always tough because it's a Western Conference team. We never see them and you can watch all the video, but you don't really know until you get into the trenches.
"But I wouldn't classify that 'Pointer' is going to be sitting on the bench a whole lot. If he's healthy, he'll be out there."
