If someone on the street were to corner me and demand to know what I would like to see from Brayden Point in order for him to reach his apex, my first reaction would be surprise. Among friends and family, people ask me to talk about hockey less, not more. But after that, my answer would be something along the lines of: “While I think Point is a great player, he is still too unselfish. He defers too much to inferior linemates.”

Too often, Point dashes through the neutral zone, creates separation, and then passes to a lesser player. Also, he is superb at generating offense in congested areas, yet on the cycle he sometimes passes when he is in the home plate area. If Point consistently attacked off entries and turned himself into a shooter on the cycle, he would probably be unstoppable. Last night, as the Lightning pulverized the Devils 8-3, everyone had a view of what a more self-serving Point looks like. As he accrued five points, his best virtues were on full display.

The first period started with the Lightning allowing two quick goals to New Jersey. The defense and forwards were committing a lot of turnovers, and the puck was getting stuck in Tampa Bay’s end.

But the sequence that led to Braydon Coburn’s first goal was initiated by Taylor Hall whiffing on a pass in the Lightning’s defensive zone. It would alter the course of the game.

The puck would land on Point’s stick. Point rocketed away from Hall and was soon challenging two Devils defensemen in the Tampa Bay offensive zone. That one-on-two was denied, but Yanni Gourde snatched up the turnover by goaltender Keith Kinkaid, who had swept the puck toward the boards. Gourde swung the pass below the goal line to Point, who skated toward higher ice before passing it back to Coburn at the blue line. Coburn snapped a shot that deflected for his first goal. Point’s thumbprint on this play is undeniable—he propelled the puck from the Lightning’s own zone to deep into the offensive zone, and his pass to Coburn at the blue line allowed the Lightning forwards to create traffic in front.

As the second period began with the score 2-2, Point beat Nico Hischier on a faceoff, Anton Stralman dumped it, and the best version of Point on the forecheck and cycle manifested itself. Point’s speed as the F1 quickly forced a turnover as he smushed Damon Severson and obtained the puck. After chipping it down low, Point moved to a quiet spot just a few feet inside the right faceoff dot and cranked a shot on net when Gourde fed him from below the goal line.

The Lightning continued to assert pressure on the cycle by utilizing their defensemen and by shooting from everywhere, and when the puck bounced toward Point, the indefatigable young center was able to spin off the pressure from defenseman Andy Greene, gain inside position, and kick the puck off his left skate to his stick and deposit it in the net. It was an outstanding play from Point, who managed to best Greene to the near post while he was simultaneously corralling the puck. And keep in mind, his effort as the F1 generated the cycle. He is insatiable even without the puck.

By the third period, it was 5-3 Lightning, but the game was within reach. The Lightning clinched it when Gourde and Tyler Johnson forced a turnover in the neutral zone, and the puck was distributed to Point, who surged toward the outside board. Point was met by Mirco Mueller, who roughed Point up and tried to disrupt him along the half-wall, ending his forward momentum. Or so it appeared! Mueller failed to separate Point from the puck, and Point curled off the check and shot as soon as he saw daylight and reached the slot. The shot was weak, but the ensuing rebound was shoveled into the net by Johnson. Stanch the rush attempt, and the play would seemingly be over. But Point can pinball off physical pressure and seize on a defensive breach.

Point would have a shot attempt that led to a primary assist on a Ryan McDonagh goal when the game was out of reach, but the more notable play from Point to McDonagh occurred when the game was still 5-3. The puck was dumped in, and Andrei Vasilevskiy went behind the net to capture possession and start the breakout. He swung it to Stralman, who found an easy outlet pass with Point dipping deep below the dot for the first pass.

That was when Point stepped on the pedal. He proceeded to transport the puck from the left faceoff dot to the offensive zone, and by accelerating at such a tremendous speed, turned the play into an odd-man rush. And keep in mind, he was flying past super fast players like Hall. With Point facing back pressure from Hall, and Johnson pushing back the far-side defenseman, Point didn’t have much room in front of him, but he had a seam pass to exploit to McDonagh, who was on the weak side. McDonagh caught the pass at the left faceoff circle, and stepped into a piercing shot on net.

What last night demonstrated is that when Point is given a choice, he should almost always bet on himself. His speed allows him to act as a one-man breakout. In the offensive zone, his balance and puck control allow him to bounce off contact and continue to attack.

When Point assumes a larger offensive burden, it also aids his linemates. Last night, Johnson and Gourde were terrific in their duties as complementary players. On the Johnson goal that made it 5-2, Gourde and Johnson worked together to create a turnover in the neutral zone, and that takeaway catalyzed the Point confrontation with Mueller along the boards. Those two forwards were also tireless retrieving and fighting below the goal line on the Point goal. They are the support system for Point, and their objective should be to give Point as many opportunities as possible.

That sounds a bit like playing with Nikita Kucherov. Similar to Kucherov, when the puck is on Point’s stick, good things happen. What the first 11 games of the season have shown is that Point deserves star treatment. That might have seemed obvious last year, but Point has been the Lightning’s best forward through eleven games and it is not that close.

Hopefully, last night was the Eureka moment when Point realized he is the force of nature who can change the course of the game. Gourde and Johnson are useful for retrieving the puck and forcing turnovers, but they are supporting cast members. Point is the main attraction.

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