TAMPA – Brayden Point scored his team-leading 42nd goal of the season and Nikita Kucherov posted a goal and an assist as the Tampa Bay Lightning skated by the Florida Panthers, 5-1, in their home finale on Tuesday evening.
While the Panthers were without six of their top seven scorers due to injuries, the Lightning took command quickly with three first-period goals by Point, Conor Geekie, and Anthony Cirelli posted a shorthanded goal at 18:09.
Kucherov has scored four goals and handed five assists in Tampa Bay’s last five games, and he continues a solid path to NHL Player of the Year honors by leading the league with 121 points which equates to his 37 goals and 84 assists.
Point also passed out two assists, hitting Geekie and Kucherov on their scores.
“Two points for us and proof of why Kuch should win the MVP,” said coach John Cooper. “Vasi (goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy), a really good chance for the Vezina, and Heddy (Victor Hedman) up for the Norris. A lot of good players doing good things. That’s what I saw.”
Yanni Gourde returned to Tampa Bay from the Seattle Kraken in early March and he is a playmaker once again in his second stint. He dished two more assists on Point’s opening score and he hit Kucherov with a pass on the right side of the goal to give the Bolts a 4-0 lead at 4:42 in the fourth.
“Tremendous play to Pointer to find me in the slot,” noted Gourde. “I looked up and I saw Kuch and if you see Kuch backdoor, alone, (you) should pass it and he scored it there.”
A Literary Classic: Cooper used a crafty analogy to illustrate the depth and the extent of Gourde’s influence on the structure of this franchise since he began as coach 12 years ago..
He compared Gourde’s heart to that of the Grinch in The Grinch That Stole Christmas.
“Yanni is a ball of energy and what’s the line in The Grinch?” His heart grows to become really big. You guys look it up. You’ll see when his heart gets huge. The End. That’s Yanni Gourde.”
Cooper referred to the line, “Well, in Whoville they say – that the Grinch’s small heart grew three sizes that day.” This is a personification stressed how the Grinch changed when he saw happy people in Who-ville although their Christmas gifts were stolen.”
Lightning Answer Early Season Questions: Cooper discussed the questions about how strong the Lightning would play without Steven Stamkos, who signed with Nashville.
The definition of the strength of this franchise was proliferated with the 47 wins (with one game to go) which have equated to those 102 points. Consider the strength of the program and it’s sustainability through Cooper’s leadership and knowledge of how to build a program from when he became the Lightning head coach in March, 2013.
“I think there was a ton of uncertainty about how things were going to play out,” he said. “If you look back then to now, we have 100-plus points. Not only did we make the playoffs, but we found a way to get home ice.”
The defensive rise has led Tampa Bay to once again be a feared opponent in the post season.
“I think every year we get looked at as ‘Okay. Their time’s over!” said Cooper. “These guys come back and prove they can do it. It’s It’s been amazing to be part of over a decade and hopefully this group wants to make many more memories and we have memories ahead of us to make. I am excited to see what we can do in these playoffs.”
Another Redux with Florida: The Bolts picked up two more points and solidified home ice as they will face the Panthers in the opening round of the playoffs for the third time in the last four seasons.
These two rivals have become the leaders of the Eastern Conference with each team representing the East in the last five Stanley Cup championships. Tampa Bay has raised the Cup on two of those occasions (2020 and 2021) while Florida hoisted Lord Stanley’s Mug last year.
The teams split the season series, 2-2, and Tampa Bay finished atop the league in scoring average as they averaged 3.6 goals per game and were fifth with a 26.2 scoring percentage on the power play and their 81.6 percent on the penalty kill slated sixthe in the NHL.
Meanwhile, the Panthers averaged an even 3.0 goals per contest (15th/NHL) and their special teams 23.5 percent of their times on the power play (15th NHL) while they rated 10th while an 80.7 penalty kill offering.
“We have played them close all year and our past playoff series have been really close series and that’s what we are expecting so we have a few days and a game to prepare for it,” said Point.
