The Tampa Bay Lightning have won five of their last seven games. They have been doing this all without Brayden Point. Point was injured on January 12 against the Philadelphia Flyers, and it was initially thought to be a severe injury. Now, it seems that Point may be back in time to play in the Olympics for Canada.
“Well, it didn’t look too good when he went down with that injury in Philadelphia earlier in the month. What I can tell you since then is that the news has gotten at least a little bit more encouraging. At this point in time, it is fully Point’s intention to get himself back healthy and get himself ready to play for Team Canada in Milan,” TSN hockey insider Chris Johnston reported.
The men's hockey tournament is set to start on February 11, meaning the time to make a decision on Point's roster status is coming soon.
“There’s only a week and a half until the players fly over there, so he’s going to have to continue to make progress [and] perhaps even get into a game for the Lightning. But at this point in time, we’re not talking about an injury replacement. We’re talking about Point getting healthy enough in time to play for Canada,” Johnston added.
Point has not played in the Olympics before, but did represent Canada at the Four Nations Face-Off in 2025. He played in four games, finding the back of the net once and adding an assist as Canada won gold in the event. Point will add another scoring threat to the team if he can play. He has lit the lamp 11 times while adding 19 helpers so far this year.
Canada is hopeful to be taking home gold at the 2026 Winter Olympics. Canada will kick off their tournament on February 12 against Czechia.
Meanwhile, the Lightning are 33-14-4 this year, the best record in the Eastern Conference. They return to the ice on Thursday against the Winnipeg Jets, before hosting the Boston Bruins in a Stadium Series game on Sunday.
