Lightning's Brayden Point ties team record with 6 points vs. Rangers

Brayden Point had three goals and three assistsas the Tampa Bay Lightning rallied to beat the Metropolitan Division-leading New York Rangers 6-3 on Thursday night.

Nikita Kucherov added a goal and four assists,Steven Stamkos and Anthony Duclair also scored, and Andrei Vasilevskiy finished with 25 saves as the Lightning came back from deficits of 2-0 and 3-2.

Tampa Bay holds the top wild card in the Eastern Conference -- four points ahead of the New York Islanders andDetroit Red Wings, who are tied for the second wild card.

Point's nifty backhand pass to Stamkos during a power play made it 4-3 with 7:15 left in the third, and Point completed his fourth hat trick 2:03 later before assisting on Kucherov's empty-netter with 3:38 left for a career-high six points, tying the team record. According to ESPN Stats & Information, Point becomes one of only three players in franchise history with at least six points in a game, joining Kucherov (Nov. 24, 2023, at theCarolina Hurricanes) and Doug Crossman (Nov. 7, 1992, at the Islanders). He is the only Tampa Bay player to do so at home.

"It's very cool," Point said. "You know, just one of those nights where everything kind of seems to work out."

Stamkos has 208 power-play goals, which is three away from tying Gordie Howe for 15th. His 540 goals overall is one back of matching Stan Mikita for 33rd all time.

Kucherov, second in the NHL with 112 points, joined Edmonton's Connor McDavid as the only active players with three or more 70-assist seasons.

"Two of the top players in the world for a reason and they showed it," Stamkos said. "These are huge games and you need your best players to be your best players, and they certainly were tonight."

Jack Roslovic had a goal and an assist, and Artemi Panarin and Braden Schneider also scored for the Rangers. Igor Shesterkin had 22 saves as New York fell to 14-3-1 in its past 18 games.

"I don't think we gave up a boatload of chances, but they got a couple of dangerous players that hurt us," Rangers coach Peter Laviolette said.

After Roslovic put the Rangers up 3-2 at 1:48 of the third, Point tied it 1:53 later.

Panarin and Schneider had first-period goals. It was Panarin's first goal in six games, while Schneider stopped a 32-game goal drought.

Tampa Bay tied it at 2 on second-period goals by Point and Duclair. New York had allowed one goal in its previous three games.

"A massive team effort," Tampa Bay coach Jon Cooper said.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.