The first week of December 2024 has been an exciting one for Bolts Nation, as the Tampa Bay Lightning kicked off the holiday season with two dominant victories. While the entire team has been performing exceptionally well, one player in particular has shone brightly with back-to-back four-point games, earning him a spot among the NHL’s stars of the week.
The NHL's First Star of the Week was Matthew Tkachuk of the Florida Panthers, who led the league with 5 goals, 6 assists, and 11 points in just three games. Brayden Point, with his 8 points in two games, earned the Second Star of the Week, while Vegas Golden Knights goaltender Adin Hill rounded out the top three after stopping 66 of 68 shots in wins over the Oilers and Stars.
Lightning strikes 8 times to drown the Sharks
Tampa Bay's offense has looked great so far this season, with contributions from multiple players helping the team lead the league in key depth-scoring statistics. Though their recent Western Conference opponent, the San Jose Sharks, may not have been the strongest team in the NHL, the Lightning's high-powered offense was on full display as they drowned the Sharks 8-1 at the newly renovated Amalie Arena.
With Nikita Kucherov sidelined, Brayden Point stepped up to fill the void, delivering his best impression of #86 with an impressive four-assist performance in one of the team’s most exciting and dominant wins of the season. Seven different players scored in that game, including Nick Paul, who made his return after missing six games due to injury.
Lightning hunt down the Canucks to conclude Taylor Swift's Eras Tour
A few nights later, the Lightning kicked off their West Coast road trip against the Vancouver Canucks, coincidentally on the final night of Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour, which wrapped up in Vancouver. Tampa Bay faced a challenging start, killing off a four-minute penalty for a high stick on Canucks captain Quinn Hughes.
Surviving that penalty without conceding a goal seemed to energize the team, but they still ended the first period down 1-0. After a sluggish start to the game, the Lightning came out with renewed energy in the second period, with goals from Kucherov and Point to put them ahead.
Vancouver quickly tied the game up early in the third, but Tampa’s top line of Kucherov, Point, and Jake Guentzel capitalized on a late power play to regain the lead. In the final seconds, with the Canucks' goalie pulled, Point sealed the win with his 18th goal of the season.
Much like his six-point game against the Rangers last season, Point was involved in every goal scored by the Lightning in their 4-2 victory over the Canucks. This marked his 10th career four-point game, tying Vincent Lecavalier and Martin St. Louis for the third-most in franchise history.
Point also became just the third player in franchise history to record back-to-back four-point games, joining Nikita Kucherov (five times) and Steven Stamkos, as the only player to do so in a Lightning jersey.
Point's power-play assist on Jake Guentzel's goal for Tampa Bay’s third score of the game also marked his 300th career assist, making him the seventh player in Lightning history to reach that milestone. For those who missed it, we've attached a link to the Twitter video of Guentzel's game-winning goal below.
Jake coming in clutch 🙌 pic.twitter.com/LLkArzAfMt
— Tampa Bay Lightning (@TBLightning) December 8, 2024
Can Brayden Point hit 60 goals and/or win the Rocket?
Currently, Point leads the NHL in power play goals with 10 and sits second in the Rocket Richard Trophy race, just one goal behind Leon Draisaitl and Sam Reinhart. With six fewer games played than the other two, could Point overtake them to claim the award?
It’s definitely doable, but regardless of the outcome, the race for the Rocket has already become one of the season's most exciting storylines for NHL fans to keep their eyes on.
Could this also be the year Brayden Point becomes a 60-goal scorer, joining Steven Stamkos as the only other player in Tampa Bay Lightning history to reach that milestone? With 57 games still remaining, it’s too early to tell, but at his current pace (18 goals in 21 games), he’s on track for more than 65 goals. With the incredible chemistry that’s already flourished between himself, Kucherov, and Guentzel, the potential for a historic season is certainly there.
As the Lightning continue their West Coast road trip, all eyes will be on Brayden Point to see if he can make it three straight four-point games in their highly anticipated upcoming battle in Alberta on Tuesday night. This will be a game fans won’t want to miss as the team will be in Edmonton to face Connor McDavid and the Oilers in one of the most thrilling matchups in hockey today.