The Tampa Bay Lightning and Team Canada are holding their collective breath following Monday night’s horrific incident.
During the second period of the Lightning’s game against the Philadelphia Flyers, top-line center Brayden Point sustained a nasty knee injury. The sequence occurred during a second-period power play.
Point shoveled a rebound home for the power play tally. But on the play, Flyers’ defenseman Cam York fell on Point’s right leg. The tangled members led to Point’s knee twisting in a sickening position.
The Lightning forward immediately grabbed his knee and cried out in pain. The reaction signaled that something was immediately wrong.
Here’s a look at the play, as shown on Sportsnet’s official X account:
Point got help off the ice by the Lightning’s lead trainer and teammate Nikita Kucherov. The replay showed that Point was unable to put any weight on his leg. Once in the tunnel, Point gingerly walked to the Lightning dressing room.
The immediate reaction from the broadcast team covering the game was a knee ligament injury. Thus far, there has been no word. Although, going by the eye test, the injury does not look good.
The hope would be that the injury is nothing more than a nasty sprain, forcing Point to miss some time while he recovers. The worst-case scenario would be a ligament injury that requires surgery.
Lightning Forward Could Miss Olympics
Even if the injury was a ligament sprain, Point’s Olympic participation could be in jeopardy. The Milano-Cortina Games are set to begin in about three weeks. That may not be enough time for Point to recover.
If the Lightning forward’s injury is worse, the Olympics could definitely be out of the question. It’s worth underscoring that if surgery is necessary, it could cost Point the remainder of the season.
Of course, that’s jumping to conclusions at this juncture. There have been cases in which terrible-looking injuries don’t end up being nearly as bad.
Losing Point Would Be Huge Blow to Bolts
The loss of Brayden Point would be a huge blow to the Lightning. The club has overcome a so-so start to get back into the Eastern Conference playoff picture.
Entering Monday night’s action, the Lightning are riding a nine-game winning streak. They are one point off the Atlantic Division lead with three games in hand on the Detroit Red Wings.
The Lightning have also found their scoring touch. The Bolts entered their matchup against the Flyers with a +39 goal differential. That’s tops in the Eastern Conference, a clear 19 goals ahead of the next-best team, the Carolina Hurricanes.
As such, Point’s potential absence would be a gaping hole for the Lightning. Depending on how long Point may be out, the club could just suck up the loss and shuffle the lineup. Otherwise, Tampa Bay could be in the market for another center to shore up its depth down the middle.
In the meantime, the only thing the club can do is wait for more information on the severity of Point’s injury and the timeline for his return.
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