Sunday, 4 a.m.
The closer the clock is to dying, the more Brayden Point comes to life.
Once again, Point was the star for the Tampa Bay Lightning, which pulled out a 3-1 victory over Chicago. Point scored two goals for the Bolts, the ninth time this season he has had a two-goal game (but no hat tricks).
Point has 43 goals on the season. Line mate Nikita Kucherov has 35 assists on those goals.
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Point scored the winner for Tampa Bay with 59.7 seconds to play. The night before, he had tied the game for the Bolts on a goal with 27.7 seconds left.
“He's scored a lot of big ones for us," Lightning coach Jon Cooper said. "He’s been the straw that stirred the drink on a lot of nights for us. He and Kuch have such chemistry. Look at the winning play. Put Point in that spot, and more often than not, he’s going to finish.”
Granted, the win wasn't against elite competition. Chicago is struggling once again. But the Bolts had been on such a skid that it felt welcome.
One thing that hurt, however, was an injury to Steven Stamkos, who went down with a left leg injury in the first period and did not return. Cooper said after the game the team felt Stamkos would be okay.
For the Bolts, an empty-net goal at the end by Brandon Hagel finished the scoring. Backup goalie Brian Elliott won his 10th game, stopping 23 of 24 shots.
The Bolts are at Amalie Arena again tonight against Winnipeg. The game is scheduled for 7 p.m.