Point scores twice, Lightning defeat Canadiens

TAMPA -- Brayden Point scored twice for the Tampa Bay Lightning in a 4-1 win against the Montreal Canadiens at Amalie Arena on Wednesday.

Andrei Vasilevskiy made 25 saves, and Victor Hedman had two assists for the Lightning (21-11-1), who lost their previous two games. They will host the New York Rangers on Thursday.
"It was a good game for us coming off of that (holiday) break, and you could tell the guys were excited to get back at it," Hedman said. "Big win for us. It was good to get back at it and I'm excited about the game tomorrow."
Kaiden Guhle scored for the Canadiens (15-17-3), who have lost three in a row (0-2-1) and are 1-5-1 in their past seven. Jake Allen made 34 saves.
"We kind of struggled getting through the neutral zone against them," Montreal captain Nick Suzuki said. "They've been together for a long time. One of the best teams in the League."
The Canadiens went 0-for-5 on the power play and are 2-for-37 over their past 11 games. They play again Thursday at the Florida Panthers.
"We're losing that fight right now on special teams," Montreal coach Martin St. Louis said. "It's something we're trying to get better at and address. It's hurting our success right now."

Alex Killorn gave Tampa Bay a 1-0 lead at 1:55 of the first period from between the face-off circles after a pass by Hedman.
Point made it 2-0 at 14:09 with a power-play goal, a one-timer from the edge of the right circle off a feed from Nikita Kucherov.
It was Kucherov's NHL-leading 37th assist.
"We came out skating, and it's a big part of our team," Point said. "When we're playing our best, we're moving our legs. We did that early in the first period and it set the tone for us."
Point scored again at 16:00 of the second period when he skated in from the blue line, eluded four defenders and beat Allen with a wrist shot to give the Lightning a 3-0 lead.
"Remarkable," Hedman said. "I had a front-seat view again. He's a special player."

Lightning coach Jon Cooper said it was the latest display of Point's skill and toughness.
"His determination … it's impressive, his will to succeed," Cooper said. "He's a difference-maker, and difference-makers do things like that."
Brandon Hagel made it 4-0 at 8:31 of the third period with a follow up from in front of the net after an initial shot from Zach Bogosian.
"There are some guys that aren't afraid of the area, and some guys that stay away from that area," Cooper said. "[Hagel] is a true competitor. There's guys that have a little bit of 'dirt under their nails,' and Hags is one of those guys. It really works in his favor."
Guhle ended Vasilevskiy's shutout with 2:39 remaining for the 4-1 final.
"It was nice to score, and to get one on the board is good going into tomorrow," Guhle said. "Maybe we'll have a little bit of a better feeling going into tomorrow. No time to think about this one."
NOTES:Point has scored in six straight home games and has 13 points in his past 13 games. … Vasilevskiy got his 50th win of the calendar year, including last season's Stanley Cup Playoffs. It was his 11th straight regular-season victory against the Canadiens. ... Lightning forward Steven Stamkos has not scored a goal in the past five games and remains three from 500 in his NHL career. … Hedman and Bogosian were each plus-3. … Guhle was one of five rookie defensemen for the Canadiens; no team had used five since the Philadelphia Flyers on April 5, 2007.