Wednesday, 4 a.m
Perhaps he should change his name to Point Blank.
Maybe Point-a-game.
Maybe "the Big" Point.
Whatever the Tampa Bay Lightning wants to call forward Brayden Point, they should be prepared to call him early and often. On Tuesday night, Point again proved to be an essential member of the Bolts.
He scored four points -- a goal and three assists -- to lead the Bolts to a 5=2 comeback win over Ottawa, a victory that nudge the team back into the Atlantic Division lead.
The Bolts, once again, had to overcome a sluggish start for the victory. They fell behind 2-0 in the game's first four minutes before scoring five goals in a row
"We definitely didn’t start out great," Point said. But i guess that’s why you play 60."
Point has now played in 38 games for the Bolts. He has 21 goals and 19 assists.
"I believe in our group," Point said. "We never feel like we’re out of a game. Vasy made a couple of massive saves or it could have been 3-0.”
Perhaps the Bolts were sluggish because they had just played an emotional outdoor game against Nashville.
"Our big boys stepped up and made it happen and got us back in the game," said forward Corey Perry. "Vasy made some big saves. We don't like starting like that. It’s not ideal. But you have to deal with it and deal with it the right way. We did that tonight."
One of the plays that impressed even the Bolts was Nikita Kucherov's pass that set up a goal by Steven Stamkos.
"We’ve seen him do it a bunch," Point said. "That’s an unreal skill. He’s just so talented. He's one of the most talented guys in the league. His skill is off the charts. His vision is off the charts. That’s a pass not many players can make."
Point, Kucherov, Stamkos, Perry and Mikhail Sergachev scored for Tampa Bay. Andrei Vasilevskiy won his 29th game of the season.
The Bolts are home on Thursday night against Pittsburgh. The game is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m.