TORONTO (AP) – By the time he launched the last shot, Brayden Point was just trying to do anything he could to end the fourth-longest game in NHL history.
“I just see a rolling puck and I just throw it on net,” Point said after scoring 10:27 into the fifth overtime to give the Tampa Bay Lightning a 3-2 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets in their playoff opener Tuesday.
“I’m not really aiming,” he added. “Just sling one there and lucky enough it finds a corner.’’
Point scored from just above the left circle, beating Joonas Korpisalo after the goaltender made an NHL-record 85 saves. The 24-year-old forward also scored way back in the first period of Game 1 of the best-of-seven series.
Vezina Trophy finalist Andrei Vasilevskiy bought time for Point and Co. with 61 saves for Tampa Bay. The teams combined for 151 shots – most in an NHL game since the league began officially tracking the statistic in 1955-56.
