Hockey
Brayden Point lands on injured reserve as the Lightning lose their No. 1 centre
The Tampa Bay Lightning placed Brayden Point on injured reserve on Tuesday, two days after their No. 1 centre left Sunday's game in Winnipeg early. The 30-year-old, who has 16 points in 17 games this season, will be out for at least seven days, and the Lightning will have to cope without their top-line centre when they visit the Buffalo Sabres on Wednesday night.
Out after six shifts
Point played just 5:35 on Sunday, in the Lightning's 4-3 loss to the Winnipeg Jets. After six shifts on the ice, he left the game with an injury whose nature has not been disclosed, and he did not return. Head coach Jon Cooper acknowledged after the game that his player could miss some time, and Tampa Bay confirmed on Tuesday that Point had been placed on injured reserve. A player on injured reserve must miss at least seven days. The Lightning did not use long-term injured reserve, which carries a minimum absence of 24 days, so the club expects its centre back within the next few weeks, with a return estimated around December 2.
A pillar of the attack
The loss is a heavy one for Tampa Bay. Point had 16 points, including 5 goals, in 17 games, and he had recorded at least a point in each of his last six games, his longest such streak since December 2024. Averaging 18:44 of ice time per game, he centres the first line and is a key part of the Lightning power play. Last season, he already missed 19 games with a right knee injury. The Lightning, third in the Atlantic Division at 11-4-2, saw their six-game point streak come to an end on Sunday in Winnipeg.
O'Reilly called up as cover
To fill the gap, Tampa Bay recalled prospect Sam O'Reilly, 20, from its AHL affiliate in Syracuse. Drafted 32nd overall in 2024, O'Reilly is expected to make his NHL debut on Wednesday night in Buffalo against the Sabres, possibly in the top six. There is good news for the Lightning: Yanni Gourde has returned from injured reserve, which restores some depth down the middle. Wednesday's game, at 7 p.m. in Buffalo and televised on TNT, will be a first test without Point.
Holding on without their engine
The challenge is real: the Lightning are perfect at home this season, at 8-0-0, but just 3-4-2 on the road. Without their No. 1 centre, the team will have to lean more on its other scorers and its goaltender to get through this absence. If Point's return around December 2 is confirmed, Tampa Bay will have to manage about three weeks without its offensive engine, a stretch that will say a lot about the depth of the roster.