Point fell hard into the boards after a collision with Maple Leafs defenseman Morgan Rielly at 5:04 of the third period in Game 3 on Saturday. He left the ice for about four minutes but returned later in the third and was on the ice when Rielly scored at 19:14 of overtime in the Maple Leafs' 4-3 victory.
"'Pointer' should be in tonight," Lightning coach Jon Cooper said. "Again, he is probably another game-time decision]*
Rielly was initially given a boarding major on the play, but the call was overturned after a video review. Point was crumpled on the ice for a couple of minutes before eventually going to the locker room but did return later in the game.
"There were so many precautions that went on," Cooper said Sunday. "The fact that he came back and played was amazing in itself. But he went through so many different tests. And he was struggling, there's no doubt about it.
"The way he went into that wall, it was a very scary situation."
The Lightning will still be without defenseman Erik Cernak, who hasn't played since he received an illegal check to the head from Maple Leafs forward Michael Bunting, who was suspended three games for his actions.
The Lightning did get a boost in Game 3 with the return of defenseman Victor Hedman, who missed two periods of Game 1 and all of Game 2 with an undisclosed injury.
He was his usual dominant self, controlling the pace of the game and showing little to no effects of the ailment that had sidelined him earlier in the series. The 32-year-old played 35 shifts, totaling 32:35 of ice time, and was a force every time he was on the ice.
"There's nothing better out there than competing with the guys," Hedman said Sunday. "I felt pretty good. So I expect more out of myself and will just get ready to go again tomorrow.
"This is the time of year when you want to be out there competing and playing these kinds of games. Not being able to go was tough. It's nerve racking sitting on the sidelines and not being able to contribute."
