The Tampa Bay Lightning have been anxiously awaiting the return of star forward Brayden Point after his injury in the first round against the Toronto Maple Leafs. Point missed the Lightning's subsequent series' against the Panthers and Rangers, so in all, he's been sidelined for their past 10 games.
Head coach Jon Cooper dropped an update on Point ahead of Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Finals on Wednesday and he finally had some positive tidbits to report. Via Elliotte Friedman, Cooper informed reporters on Tuesday that “there's a chance” Point is able to skate in Game 1.
https://twitter.com/FriedgeHNIC/status/1536810341622894592
Cooper iterated that if Point is ruled out for Game 1, which remains possible but is by no means a certainty, fans should “really anticipate” seeing the 26-year-old back in action for Game 2, which will take place on Saturday.
While Cooper refused to make any guarantees regarding Point's status, this is a far more optimistic update than the previous ones regarding the star forward. Point was effectively considered day-to-day throughout the entirety of the second round and the Eastern Conference Playoffs. His lower-body injury prevented him from skating, though the team never ruled him out too much in advance for game time, always leaving the door open for a surprise return.
Point could be seen skating with the power play unit at Tuesday's practice, something that certainly bodes well for a return in the near future.
Brayden Point on top #TBLightning power play. A good sign for tomorrow pic.twitter.com/Kf2MPMTcOo
— Joe Smith (@JoeSmithNHL) June 14, 2022
While he never did make his coveted return to action during those series', it seems likely he'll finally be back on the ice during the Stanley Cup Finals, and quite possibly as early as Game 1 on Wednesday night. Having him back in the fold would be a major boost for the Lightning, who, despite being the back-to-back reigning champs, are considered underdogs against a loaded Avalanche team.
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