TAMPA, Fla. — Brayden Point hobbled off the ice late in the second period of Tuesday night’s game and quickly disappeared down the tunnel.
Moments earlier, the Lightning’s top-line center was spun around the boards and stumbled awkwardly to the ice while chasing a puck.
But he returned in the third period and scored the tying power-play goal that provided the spark Tampa Bay needed against visiting Carolina.
The Lightning beat the Metropolitan Division-leading Hurricanes, 4-3, on Steven Stamkos’ man-advantage goal in overtime, Tampa Bay’s third straight win.
Fueling a resurgent power play that has scored six goals in the past three games after going 3 for 28 in the previous nine, Point backhanded a rebound from in front just over six minutes into the third period after a Stamkos one-timer from the left circle.
The Lightning had nine of the first 11 shots of the third period, including another good look by Point drifting toward the right post that Carolina goaltender Antti Raanta stopped with a lunging glove save.
Nikita Kucherov, who had three assists, had a breakaway in the final minute of regulation after forcing a turnover at the Lightning blue line, but his shot was broken up by Brett Pesce’s backcheck.
Stamkos’ goal — his 30th of the season — came off a Kucherov pass into the slot, capping a three-point night for the Lightning captain.
Tampa Bay knows Carolina well. They played the Hurricanes 13 times last season as division opponents and ended Carolina’s season in the second round of the postseason.
One week ago, the Hurricanes handed the Lightning a one-goal loss in Raleigh, N.C., that ended with Kucherov and Sebastian Aho shoving each other after the final buzzer.
Tampa Bay limited Carolina’s scoring opportunities on Tuesday, but the Hurricanes scored twice on their first seven shots on goal and took a 3-2 lead on Aho’s redirection in front of the net with 3:13 left in the second period.
With Tampa Bay trailing 1-0 earlier in the game, Alex Killorn scored 52 seconds into the second period on the power play, wristing a shot past Raanta.
Canes rookie Seth Jarvis scored just under eight minutes later, but Lightning defenseman Victor Hedman tied the game again just over a minute after that when Anthony Cirelli emerged from a puck battle against the boards and fed Hedman in the high slot.
