Tampa Bay Lightning’s Brayden Point doubtful for Game 1

Tampa Bay Lightning head coach Jon Cooper announced on Monday that Brayden Point is doubtful for Game 1 against the Florida Panthers.

Point suffered the injury during Game 7 of the first round against the Toronto Maple Leafs in the first period. He was making a play for the puck along the boards and took an awkward fall that saw his right leg bend awkwardly behind him. He got one more shift in the second period after that but was out for most of the game after the injury.

It’s a huge blow to the Tampa Bay lineup, as Point has been an essential piece to the team during their Cup runs. He had 28 goals and 58 points in 66 games in the regular season, and has two goals and four points in seven games in the playoffs. Since 2020, Point leads the NHL in postseason goals with 30.

Tampa Bay will commence its series with Florida Tuesday night. It will be the second year in a row that a Battle of Florida happens in the playoffs, after last year’s series was the first time ever. Tampa Bay won that series in six games. The teams also split their regular season series this year, each winning two games.