The Tampa Bay Lightning are set for their Eastern Conference Finals matchup against the New York Rangers, with Game 1 set for Wednesday, June 1. After sweeping the Florida Panthers in the second round, the Lightning will look to pick up where they left off with a strong showing against the Rangers. Unfortunately, it looks as if Brayden Point's injury is still impacting him and will likely prevent him from skating in Game 1. According to Joe Smith, Point was not present at the Lightning's practice on Tuesday, which certainly doesn't bode well for his status for Wednesday's game.

Point sustained his lower-body injury during Game 7 against the Toronto Maple Leafs in the first round. He didn't feature in a single game in the series against Florida, and despite having as many as nine days of rest ahead of the series with New York, it seems that he's still not ready to return to action.

That's certainly a worrying update on the star forward, who is one of the Lightning's key cogs. While they fared just fine without him in the second round, things might not be so easy against the Rangers and legendary goaltender Igor Shesterkin.

In addition to Point's injury, Brandon Hagel's status remains uncertain for Game 1. He returned to practice Tuesday but left early. Lightning coach Jon Cooper mentioned over the weekend that he expects Hagel to play on Wednesday, so fans will certainly hope that rings true when the final lines are revealed.

During the regular season, Point was the Lightning's fifth-leading points-getter. The 26-year-old registered 58 points across 66 games. He scored 28 goals and added 30 assists.