Point gets 50th, 51st goals, Lightning beat Red Wings 5-0
TAMPA, Fla - TAMPA, Fla (AP) — Brayden Point scored his 50th and 51st goals, backup Brian Elliott made 32 saves and the Tampa Bay Lightning stopped a four-game losing streak with a 5-0 win over the Detroit Red Wings in the regular-season finale for both teams on Thursday night.
Point joined Steven Stamkos (2009-10, 2011-12) and Vincent Lecavalier (2006-07) as the only Lightning players to reach the 50-goal mark. The playoff-bound Lightning will face the Toronto Maple Leafs in a first-round series starting next week.
Point collected the rebound of Nikita Kucherov's power-play shot in the slot, made a move around goalie Ville Husso and put it into the net with 9:13 left in the third for his 50th. The center added an empty-netter at 15:59.
TAMPA, FL - APRIL 13: Brayden Point #21 of the Tampa Bay Lightning shoots the puck for a goal for his 50th goal of the season during the third period against against the Detroit Red Wings at Amalie Arena on April 13, 2023 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by
The 38-year old Elliott, a free agent after the season, picked up his second shutout of the season and 45th overall. He had allowed six goals in each of his previous three starts.
Alex Killorn, Brandon Hagel and Michael Eyssimont also scored for the playoff-bound Lightning.
Tampa Bay rested defensemen Victor Hedman and Erik Cernak in advance of the playoffs. Goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy served as the backup.
Husso stopped 27 shots.
The Red Wings, despite ending the season 0-4-1, finished with their most points (80) since their last playoff team had 93 in 2015-16.
Detroit's Dylan Larkin was pointless and wound up with 79 points, one short of becoming the first Red Wings player with 80 since Henrik Zetterberg in 2010-11.
Killorn made it 1-0 at 7:49 of the first with his career-high 27th goal on Tampa Bay's first shot. The Lightning didn't get another shot until the period's final 23 seconds from Anthony Cirelli and Point.
Elliott turned aside all 12 first-period shots he faced.
Hagel got his 30th goal 7:27 into the third.
Elliott had a nifty glove stop on Jake Walman during a 40-second stretch in the second.
NUMBERS
Elliott is 50th on the career list with 279 wins. He tied Marty Turco and Jimmy Howard for his 66th place in goalie games played with 543.
SLUMPING
Tampa Bay forwards Nick Paul (26 games), Corey Perry (25), and Cirelli (13) all have lengthy goal droughts. Perry is tied with Jason Arnott for 93rd on the NHL career goals list with 417.