Brayden Point reached 40 goals on the season with his second-period goal in the Lightning’s 4-3 loss to the St. Louis Blues this past Saturday.
In just his third NHL season, the Lightning forward has reached new career-best totals in goals, assists and (of course because of those two marks) overall points; Point now has 40 goals and 50 assists for 90 total scoring points this year, with a plus-27.
With 74 game appearances so far this year, Point has already surpassed his 82-game totals from last year, when he logged 32 goals and 34 assists for 66 total points, along with an overall plus-18 rating.
This might not come as a huge surprise since Point has been playing alongside the NHL’s current assist and points leader in Nikita Kucherov. But one cannot deny the success of a young star forward that fits perfectly into a Tampa Bay roster that already boasts the likes of Kucherov and Steven Stamkos.
Point’s 40 goals put him in the NHL’s current top-five on the year, surpassing his teammate Stamkos’ 39 goals, and his 90 points place him at No. 9 in the NHL in that category, putting him just in front of Stamkos again.
More from Bolts by the Bay
- Tampa Bay Lightning: Maxim Groshev Stands Out at Rookie Showcase
- Tampa Bay Lightning Atlantic Division Preview: Boston Bruins
- Do the Tampa Bay Lightning provide Tyler Motte with career stability?
- Mikhail Sergachev hints a renewed vigor for the Tampa Bay Lightning
- Four training camp battles to watch with the Tampa Bay Lightning
Aside from being among the elite in this season’s NHL stats, Point has now placed himself in the top eight of single-season goal leaders in Lightning franchise history, joining the likes of Vincent Lecavalier’s 2007-08 and Nikita Kucherov’s 2016-17 goal totals. Although with six games still remaining, Point could very well place himself higher up in those rankings as he is just two goals shy of cracking the top five.
Another fun stat to look at, and further emphasize Brayden Point’s remarkable success this season, is his shooting percentage; that is Point’s total goals divided by his total shots on net. With a current mark of 21.9 percent, Point’s shooting percentage ranks as the best in the NHL so far this regular season and as the best in Lightning history, leading Ryan Malone’s 21 percent from 2008-09. Obviously, this stat can and will change, but with barely more than a handful of games remaining in the regular season, it is definitely worth noting to show how Point has been able to find success with high-percentage shots.
Be sure to keep an eye out for any Point points tonight when the Bolts face the physical Boston Bruins.
(All stats courtesy of Hockey Reference.)