Brayden Point’s clutch moments need to increase throughout the final two months
You won’t see Brayden Point hit the 1.15 points per game mark again unless he picks up his play offensively to match Kucherov’s. But by no means does this imply he has been underproducing, as Point still has 54 points and 25 goals in 53 contests this year. Much like last season, Point also has six game-winning goals, putting him halfway to the career-best 12 he scored in 2017-18.
One of the better clutch players on the Lightning, if Kucherov doesn’t have the puck on his stick in pivotal moments, Point makes for an excellent consolation. Like Kucherov, he’s also been stepping up during times when the Lightning must step up, such as on the power play. Over 35 percent of his points total (19) have come on the man advantage.
If there is one part of his game that Point must improve, it’s the 2.69 shots on goal per game he’s accumulated so far, down from 2.86 last season. Given that Point is still averaging a monster 17.5 shooting percentage, taking more chances when he has open looks should be a top priority, especially late in games.
If he improves that one statistic, we should see, on average, Point scoring roughly once out of every six shots on goal. And that productivity will add up for a team that needs to separate itself from the two wild card contenders in the Atlantic.