Brayden Point scored one goal and provided two assists as the Tampa Bay Lightning downed the Florida Panthers, 5-1. Nikita Kucherov added his league-leading 120th and 121st points with a goal and an assist.
Point notched his 42nd goal of the season just 90 seconds into the game. Yanni Gourde fed the puck to Point as he crossed the blue line. Point then snapped the shot past Florida goalie Vitek Vanecek. Less than three minutes later, Conor Geekie scored his second goal in as many games on a three-on-two rush with Point and Victor Hedman.
Erik Cernak was sent to the box late in the first on a questionable interference call. After arguing the call with official Dan O’Rourke, Cernak was assessed an additional minor for unsportsmanlike conduct. The Bolts responded to the situation with a short-handed goal by Jake Guentzel.
Kucherov, Point Lead Fast-Paced Bolts
The Lightning continued to play strong in the second period. Kucherov earned his league-leading 120th point of the season four minutes in. Point won an errant puck in the Florida defensive zone and got the pass to Gourde in the slot. The Saint-Narcisse, Quebec native found Kucherov low on the backdoor for the wrist shot past Vanecek.
Real beauty of a play here š https://t.co/y1Ihz3FcLN pic.twitter.com/5egHPv3oRT
ā x – Tampa Bay Lightning (@TBLightning) April 16, 2025
Brad Marchand would put the Panthers on the board less than a minute later with a wrist shot past Andrei Vasilevskiy. Vanecek kept the score in check during the period, stopping nine of ten shots.
Despite the Marchand goal, Vasilevskiy stopped 23 of 24 shots to strengthen his chances for another Vezina Trophy.
Darren Raddysh would score the game’s final goal with a power play goal in the third period.
Playoff Implications Run High
As the NHL season wraps up this week, this game became a tone-setter for the upcoming first-round series between the two teams. Florida and Tampa Bay will square off starting this weekend at Amalie Arena.
“Obviously, they’re going to have a different lineup for Game One,” Point said. “We’ve played them close all year, and our series has been a close series. So that’s what we’re expecting.”
“We have a few days to sharpen up and be ready for it.”
With one game remaining on the schedule against the New York Rangers, Bolts head coach Jon Cooper reflected on his team’s effort in the last 81 games.
“Not only do we make the playoffs,” Cooper said. “We found a way to get home ice (for the first round), and our specialĀ teams ended up top five.”
“We went from a mediocre defensive team to one of the best in the league.”
With Kucherov leading the league in points and Point and Guentzel in the goal-scoring Top 10, the retooled Lightning continue to make strides to the playoffs.
“Every year we get looked at as ‘Their time is over,'” Cooper pointed out. “And every year, these guys come back and prove they can do it.”
“This group wants to make more memories and see what we can do in these playoffs.”
Three Stars of the Game
1. Brayden Point, Tampa Bay. A goal and two assists for three points led the scoring effort tonight.
2. Yanni Gourde, Tampa Bay. Two assists tonight and some crafty play continue to add to the team effort since his return to Tampa.
3. Nikita Kucherov, Tampa Bay. His NHL league-leading 121 points show that the Russian phenom deserves MVP honors consideration this season.
Up Next
The Lightning will wrap up the 2024-25 season with a matchup against the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden Thursday night. Game time is at 7 pm.
