Brayden Point turns 21 years old today! In honor of the rookie’s big birthday, let’s take a look at some of his milestones in a Tampa Bay Lightning uniform.
First NHL Point
The Lightning lose the face-off, but Point fights off two New Jersey Devils to come up with the puck. Point sets up Jason Garrison who takes a shot that is deflected on goal by Valtteri Filppula. It’s a simple enough play, but a perfect example of Point’s work ethic.
First NHL Goal (except it doesn’t really count because it’s a shootout goal)
Brayden Point’s shootout goal secured the Lightning two points against divisional rival Florida Panthers. This game was pretty intense (featuring Steven Stamkos scoring from an insane angle in the last few seconds of regulation to force overtime). My favorite part of this goal is how nonchalant Point is about the entire thing. He skates up comfortably, scores, and just heads back to the bench. No overt celebration – like he’s done this a million times before. He’s been money in the shootout, going 5 for 7 on attempts this year.
REAL First NHL Goal
If you look carefully, you can see Point saying “Finally!” after he scores. Finally is right – it took him almost two months to find the back of the net. He just couldn’t seem to catch a break, so the look of sheer relief on his face makes perfect sense.
First Multi-Point Game (1 goal, 1 assist)
Point scored a goal from a sharp angle, courtesy of a Tyler Johnson feed. By this point in the season, he had already proven to be an integral member of the forward corps in Tampa. The Lightning remain undefeated in any game where he scores two or more points.
BONUS: First time he made Connor McDavid look silly
I hope that’s the first of many, many times. Honestly, it’s my favorite Point moment of the season.
Happy 21st birthday, Brayden! The Tampa Bay Lightning are very lucky to have you! Here’s wishing you your tenth goal of the season as well as a Bolts victory on your special day.
