Brayden Point scored his 42nd goal of the season to break a tie in the second period, Andrei Vasilevskiy made 23 saves, and the Tampa Bay Lightning defeated the Boston Bruins 3-1 on Wednesday night.
Tampa Bay also got goals from Mitchell Chaffee and Nikita Kucherov as they continued their strong performance with a 7-0-1 record in their last eight games. The Lightning are now just two points behind the Toronto Maple Leafs in the Atlantic Division standings.
Both Lightning defenseman Victor Hedman and Point returned to the lineup after missing one game due to lower-body injuries. Hedman contributed with an assist, marking his third 70-point season, making him the fourth active defenseman to achieve this.
Linus Ullmark stopped 28 shots for the Bruins, and Danton Heinen scored their only goal. Despite coming off a win against the Florida Panthers the night before, Bruins coach Jim Montgomery felt that neither team played at their best.
Point’s goal in the second period proved crucial for the Lightning, giving them the lead which they maintained until the end. Kucherov sealed the victory with an empty-net goal in the final seconds of the game, also claiming the NHL points lead with a total of 124 points and reaching a career-high 42 goals.
Vasilevskiy’s win tied him with Ed Giacomin for 46th place on the career list with 290 wins. Despite dealing with physical challenges after undergoing surgery earlier in the season, Vasilevskiy remains focused on taking care of himself and improving his performance.
Although the Lightning appeared to extend their lead with a goal from Steven Stamkos in the third period, it was overturned after a video review showed an offside play.
