The Tampa Bay Lightning managed to take Game 1 on the road against the Florida Panthers, even without star forward Brayden Point on the ice. Ahead of Game 2, it looks like they'll be in a similar position, as Point is still dealing with a lower-body injury that head coach Jon Cooper anticipates will leave him sidelined for Thursday's showdown. Via Joe Smith, Cooper revealed on Wednesday that Point will be out for Game 2.

That's a big loss for Tampa, and it's concerning that the team is already confident enough to announce his status a day in advance. That certainly doesn't bode well for this availability when the series returns to Tampa, though Cooper made no indications about whether Point would be available at that point.

Point suffered the injury in Game 7 against the Maple Leafs after taking a hard hit. He left the game in visible pain but surprisingly returned later on. Unfortunately, the injury is still bothering him to the point that the Lightning ruled him out more than 24 hours in advance of Game 2.

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With Point out of the lineup for another game, the Lightning's top line will likely consist of Steven Stamkos, Nikita Kucherov, and Anthony Cirelli, while Nick Paul, Ondrej Palat, and Alex Killorn figure to be in the second unit.

The Lightning managed to take Game 1 handily, even in Point's absence, winning 4-1 with goals from Corey Perry, Kucherov, Ross Colton, and Pierre-Edouard Bellemarre.

During the regular season, Point registered 58 points across 66 games, scoring 28 goals and adding 30 assists. The 26-year-old recorded 4 points in the Lightning's seven-game series against the Maple Leafs in the first round.