The Lightning took a 1-0 lead over the Islanders in Game 6 Wednesday night thanks to Brayden Point and his 14th goal of the playoffs.
Point has now scored in nine consecutive playoff games, putting him one away from tying Reggie Leach for the NHL record. He’s also one of three centers to score 12-plus goals in two straight postseasons, joining some guys named Gretzky and Lemieux. During the 2020 playoffs, the Lightning forward tallied 14 goals during their Stanley Cup run.
In extending this streak to nine games, Point helped start things off by forcing a turnover behind the Islanders’ net. When Anthony Cirelli’s spin-o-rama shot was blocked, Point was there to pick up the puck and flip it over Semyon Varlamov’s pad for a 1-0 lead.
[Brayden Point’s historic playoff goal streak is worth your attention]
With a nickname like “Mr. Clutch” from his teammates, Point picked a good time to score. Tampa Bay is 11-1 this postseason when scoring first and with an opportunity to clinch a spot back in the Cup Final thanks to a 3-2 series lead, getting the opening goal is important.
The goal was Tampa Bay’s 11th straight dating back to Game 4 of this Stanley Cup Semifinal series. According to the NHL, the Lightning are the fourth team in the last 40 postseasons to score that many unanswered goals in a series.
Point also extended his playoff point streak to nine games, making the him the first player to franchise history to do so. His goal puts him at 19 points this postseason, eight behind teammate Nikita Kucherov for the NHL lead.
The last time Brayden Point didn’t score or record a point? Game 2 of their Second Round series against the Hurricanes on June 1.
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Sean Leahy is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @Sean_Leahy.