The forward was sidelined for a 10th game after sustaining a lower-body injury in Game 7 of the first round against the Toronto Maple Leafs on May 14.
"I don't know about the probability of Game 1," coach Jon Cooper said after Tampa Bay eliminated the New York Rangers with a 2-1 win, "but it's extremely probable that he will play in the series."
RELATED: [Complete Rangers vs. Lightning series coverage]
The Lightning advanced to the Cup Final for a third straight season and will face the Colorado Avalanche in Game 1 of the best-of-7 series at Ball Arena on Wednesday (8 p.m. ET; ESPN+, ABC, CBC, SN, TVAS).
Point and defenseman Cal Foote were the final two Lightning skaters on the ice at their optional morning skate Saturday. Point left and Foote, who has been a healthy scratch the past three games, remained on the ice for extra work. Foote did not play in Game 6.
"If you see him in warmups, then it's probably a game-time decision, and if you don't see him in warmups, then that pretty much tells you what's going on with him," Cooper said before the game. "So we'll see. We'll see how he's feeling after the (morning) skate today."
Point led the NHL with 14 playoff goals each in 2020 and 2021 to help Tampa Bay win back-to-back Stanley Cup championships. His 30 playoff goals in 53 games are the most in the NHL over the past three seasons. Point had four points (two goals, two assists) in seven games this postseason before he was injured, including the overtime winner in a 4-3 victory in Game 6 against the Maple Leafs.
"If he's healthy, he's a big part of their group," Rangers coach Gerard Gallant said before the game. "He might be arguably their best all-around player, in my opinion. He plays a great two-way hockey game and he's a great player. But now he's got to be healthy, and that makes a big difference, and he hasn't played in roughly a month. But he's a talented player and he's a big part of their team, there's no doubt about that. So we'll see. If he plays tonight, there's nothing we can do. We've got to worry about our game."
Point has been skating in full equipment since June 1, the morning of Game 1 of the conference final. Cooper said that day that the Lightning were preparing to play the series without Point, but he has gradually been increasing the intensity of his workouts since then. Saturday was the first game day since Point was injured that Cooper did not say Point definitely would not play.
