Lightning's Brayden Point OUT for Game 2 vs. Panthers

The Tampa Bay Lightning will once again be without one of its best players on Thursday night, as reported by Sportsnet’s Kyle Bukauskas.

After missing Tampa’s Game 1 victory over the Panthers on Tuesday night, forward Brayden Point will be on the shelf for his second straight contest with a lower-body injury.

After awkwardly twisting his leg, Point left Game 7 against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday. He immediately hit the ice in pain and had trouble finishing his shift. The gritty forward tried to re-enter the game, but the pain was too much, and he left for good. The 28-year-old seems to have injured his groin or knee, but as the NHL tends to do, LBI is all we get.

In seven games in Tampa’s first-round series against the Leafs, Point had two goals and two assists. He had 28 goals and 58 points in 66 games during the regular season.

After stealing Game 1 at FLA Live Arena in Sunrise, as +130 moneyline dogs, the Lightning will look for a commanding 2-0 series lead before heading back to Tampa. The odds are again against the defending champs with slightly longer ML odds of +134. Puck drop is at 7:00 PM ET.