Tampa Bay Lightning evened the Eastern Conference finals series against the New York Rangers with two wins apiece via Tuesday's 4-1 victory without the services of forwarding Brayden Point. A point has been sidelined with an unspecified lower-body injury he sustained in Game 7 of their first-round series victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs on May 14.
Tampa Bay head coach Jon Cooper commented Tuesday that Point was "progressing every day" in his recovery, and Cooper did not officially rule the 26-year-old out for Thursday's Game 5 at Madison Square Garden when he spoke. With reporters on Wednesday. That is no longer the case.
According to Tom Gulitti of the NHL website, Cooper confirmed that Point would not play Thursday night. Game 6 between the clubs will take place Saturday in Tampa Bay, and Point's status for that contest is unknown.
"If he plays, he'll be ready to play," Cooper said of Point. "He is not ready to play right now."
Lightning defenseman Ryan McDonagh added:
"We know he will do everything he can, and he says he is ready to go every time. We will welcome him with open arms. He's been a big part of our team's success over the last couple of years, no doubt, so we're looking forward to it, and if it happens, it happens. If it doesn't happen, it doesn't happen."
Point recorded two goals and two assists in the series against Toronto before the injury. He had 28 goals and 30 assists in 66 regular-season games from 2021-22.
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