Point lifts Lightning past Predators in OT

NASHVILLE -- Brayden Point scored a power-play goal 1:01 into overtime, giving the Tampa Bay Lightning a 3-2 win against the Nashville Predators at Bridgestone Arena on Friday.

Point won it with a forehand-to-backhand move at the left post after taking a pass in front of the net from Nikita Kucherov following a face-off win by Luke Glendening in the right circle.

“Just a face-off that [Kucherov] got a good jump on,” Point said. “Obviously we outnumbered them on the face-off there, and he throws one in front and it lands on my stick. Just pull it to the backhand and find some space.”

Jonas Johansson made 29 saves for the Lightning (12-8-2), who had lost three of four.

“It was a big win for us, obviously,” Tampa Bay coach Jon Cooper said. “Special teams was a factor. We get the short-handed goal that kind of gets us going and then the power-play goal at the end.”

Roman Josi scored twice for the Predators (7-12-5), who lost their third in a row and are 2-3-4 in their past nine. Juuse Saros made 25 saves.

“We had a really good effort last game, and we didn’t necessarily see the results,” Nashville forward Steven Stamkos said of the 3-2 overtime loss to the Philadelphia Flyers on Wednesday. “And then I thought tonight was just, it was just average. That was a game that was winnable for us. I don’t even know what to say right now to be honest.”

Josi gave the Predators a 1-0 lead at 1:23 of the first period on a wrist shot from the point after a face-off win by Stamkos.

Anthony Cirelli tied it 1-1 with a short-handed goal at 4:06 of the second period on a 2-on-0. Glendening started the play after Josi lost the puck to him near the Tampa Bay blue line, feeding Cirelli on the rush. Cirelli didn’t hit his initial shot squarely from the left of the net but was able to redirect it out of midair.

Cirelli had left the game early in the first period after taking a puck to the face.

“It was one of those nights that we only dressed 11 forwards,” Cooper said. “We lost [Cirelli] for a while. He came back. We lost [Kucherov] for the entire second period then he came back. And so guys were put in spots that they haven’t been used to and guys were playing more ice time than they’re used to. But the guys dug their heels in, knew the circumstances, and that third period we were just playing TV timeout to TV timeout and putting us in a situation where we weren’t going to give this game away.”

Brandon Hagel put Tampa Bay ahead 2-1 lead at 8:18 on a wrist shot from the point that deflected in off of Nashville defenseman Alexandre Carrier.

“We kept it simple,” Hagel said. “I think we had a good vibe the entire game. Just going into the third, we knew what we had to do. Learned from last game and went out there and finished the job.”

Josi’s second goal of the game tied it 2-2 at 11:20. He scored with a wrist shot from the slot off a pass from Mark Jankowski for his fifth goal in his past four games.

“It’s been a lot of sleepless nights,” Predators coach Andrew Brunette said. “It’s there, like I said. Like, you see it. We just don’t have that extra determination and will to grab it. We kind of wait for it a little bit. A little bit of parts of our game where we’re waiting for things, waiting for the puck instead of working for the puck. And the only way that you’re going to get out of this is work. I think we’re confusing waiting and working a little bit, a lot of our guys.”

NOTES: Cirelli was 11-for-17 on face-offs (64.7 percent) and finished with three shots on goal in 17:13 of ice time. … Kucherov (undisclosed) did not play in the second period but returned for the third. … Point became the fourth player in Tampa Bay history with 20 career overtime points (12 goals, eight assists), joining Stamkos (29 points; 13 goals, 16 assists), Victor Hedman (23 points; eight goals, 15 assists) and Martin St. Louis (21 points; 10 goals, 11 assists). … Stamkos faced the Lightning for the second time since leaving them to sign a four-year, $32 million contract ($8 million average annual value) with the Predators on July 1. He had an assist and no shots in 16:23. Stamkos had two assists in a 3-2 overtime loss at Tampa Bay on Oct. 28.