TAMPA – Tampa Bay Lightning midfielder Brayden Point is a game-time decision for the third game of the Stanley Cup final, coach Jon Cooper announced Monday.
Point did not participate in the team’s morning skating. He returned to the Lightning lineup in Game 1 against the Colorado Avalanche after missing the previous two rounds, after suffering a lower body injury on May 14 in Game 7 against the Toronto Maple Leafs. .
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The point skipped 16:40 with a shot on goal in game 2. He did not make any shots in game 1 at 17:59 of ice time, but recorded an assist. He skated with Ross Colton and Nick Paul, as well as Anthony Cirelli and Nikita Kucherov in Game 2 when Cooper shuffled his lines in the 7-0 loss.
Point has five points in nine playoff games, with a minus-7. No player has scored more goals (30) than Point in the last three NHL posts.
If Point can’t leave, forward Riley Nash is expected to play for Lightning again.
The Avalanche leads Tampa Bay 2-0 in the Stanley Cup final. Their speed and offensive pace have given the Lightning problems, but the consecutive Stanley Cup champions have done themselves no favors with a couple of bad starts that have seen them lose multiple goals in the first period of both games.
“You have to give them credit. They really jump out the door quickly. Just simplify our game and please don’t penalize in the first five minutes of the game,” Cooper said. “It would be nice to have these guys chase the game for once instead of us.”