
Brayden Point of Calgary, Alberta tied the Tampa Bay Lightning franchise record for most points in a game with six, and in the process recorded his fourth career National Hockey League hat trick on Thursday. He accomplished the feat in a 6-3 Lightning win over the New York Rangers at the Amalie Arena in Tampa.
Point had three goals and three assists in the Lightning win. Two other Lightning players have had six points in a game. Defenseman Doug Crossman of Peterborough, Ontario had three goals and three assists in a 6-5 Lightning win over the New York Islanders on November 7, 1992, and Nikita Kucherov had two goals and four assists in an 8-2 Lightning win over the Carolina Hurricanes on November 24, 2023.
In the Lightning win over the Rangers, Point pulled the Lightning to within one goal (2-1 Rangers) with a goal from Kucherov at 12:41 of the second period. Point then set up Anthony Duclair of Pointe-Claire, Quebec to tie the game at two with one minute and 17 seconds left in the second period. Four of Point’s six points came in the third period. Point tied the game at three at 3:41 from Hedman and Kucherov. Then at 12:45, Point helped set up Steven Stamkos of Markham, Ontario on the power-play with the game-winning goal to put the Lightning up 4-3. At 14:48, Point scored from Kucherov and defenseman Victor Hedman to put the Lightning up 5-3, and then set up Kucherov with an empty netter with three minutes and 38 seconds left in the third period.
Point’s three prior NHL hat tricks came in a 4-3 Lightning win over the Pittsburgh Penguins on November 15, 2018, in a 6-4 Lightning win over the Ottawa Senators on November 4, 2023, and in the 8-2 Lightning win over the Carolina Hurricanes on November 24, 2023 when Kucherov had six points. In 2023-24, Point has 36 goals and 37 assists for 73 points. He is a -14 with 12 penalty minutes, 24 power-play points, eight game-winning goals, 86 shots on goal, 225 faceoff wins, 36 blocked shots, 13 hits, 29 takeaways, and 27 giveaways.
The Lightning have the first wildcard spot in the Eastern Conference. With a record of 35 wins, 25 regulation losses, and six losses in extra time, they have 76 points, and lead the New York Islanders by four points for the final playoff spot.