Brayden Point Scores Twice as Lightning Beat Red Wings 4-2 for Franchise-Record Seventh Straight Home Win

Brayden Point scored twice in the first period, Nikita Kucherov set up both goals in his first home game since asking to be traded, and the Tampa Bay Lightning beat the Detroit Red Wings 4-2 on Tuesday night at Benchmark International Arena. The win was Tampa Bay's seventh straight at home to open the season, which the Lightning say is the longest such streak in franchise history.

Anthony Cirelli added the eventual game-winner early in the second period, Andrei Vasilevskiy made 19 saves, and Ryan McDonagh slid an empty-net goal the length of the ice with one second left. The Lightning improved to 9-3-2 (20 points) and 7-0-0 at home. Detroit, playing the second night of a back-to-back after beating the Florida Panthers 5-3 in Sunrise on Monday, fell to 7-6-3.

It was also Tampa Bay's first Atlantic Division game of the season, and it produced a regulation win over a division rival with 19,092 fans in the building.

Point strikes twice in a lopsided first period

The Lightning controlled the opening 20 minutes, outshooting Detroit 13-2. Point opened the scoring on the power play at 7:54, after Detroit defenseman Moritz Seider was called for interference. Kucherov fed him in the low slot, and while Point did not get all of the shot, it slid past goaltender John Gibson. Charle-Edouard D'Astous picked up the second assist.

Point struck again at 13:01, 5:07 later, snapping a shot from the high slot over Gibson's glove off another Kucherov pass, with Erik Cernak also assisting. It was Point's first multi-goal game of the season and gave him five goals, four of them in his last four games, according to the Lightning.

The power-play goal was the 113th of Point's career, moving him past Vincent Lecavalier into second place in franchise history. Steven Stamkos holds the team record with 214, according to the Lightning's game story.

Gibson stopped 11 of the 13 shots he faced and did not return for the second period. Lightning broadcaster Dave Mishkin wrote that Gibson appeared to be hurt late in the first period. Daniil Tarasov, who had played the night before in Sunrise, took over and stopped 12 of 13 shots.

Cirelli's goal holds up

Cirelli made it 3-0 at 8:41 of the second period, lifting his fifth goal of the season into the top left corner past Tarasov. Gage Goncalves and J.J. Moser had the assists, with Moser's pass finishing a two-on-one rush.

Detroit answered at 10:23 when Lucas Raymond fired a shot from the left point past Vasilevskiy for his sixth goal, set up by J.T. Compher. The Red Wings then pulled within 3-2 at 5:29 of the third on a Compher power-play goal, a shot from the right circle under Vasilevskiy's left pad, with assists from Andrew Copp and Justin Faulk.

Detroit pulled its goaltender for an extra attacker for the final three minutes and kept Vasilevskiy busy, but could not get the tying goal. McDonagh, with his first goal of the season, ended it with the empty-netter at 19:59.

How the scoring went

The goals, by period and time:

Tampa Bay outshot Detroit 27-21 overall. Each team scored once on the power play: the Lightning went 1 for 3 and the Red Wings 1 for 4. Detroit drew four straight penalties after Tampa Bay received the first three, including three in the third period, and Vasilevskiy made four saves on Detroit power plays. The win was his seventh of the season.

The Lightning's postgame notes listed Point, Vasilevskiy and Kucherov as the three stars. Coach Jon Cooper said of the start, "We were hungry," according to the team's game story, and Point, asked about his recent scoring, said, "It gives you confidence."

Kucherov's home return

The game was Kucherov's first at home since the reigning NHL MVP asked the Lightning for a trade, a request that became public last Friday. According to ESPN and The Associated Press, fans held up signs reading "We Stand with Kuch 86" and "Pay Stay Kuch" at the glass during warmups, and he was greeted warmly for the most part.

Kucherov now has five assists in two games since telling the team he wants to be dealt, and 16 assists this season. On Monday he said the request stemmed from what he described as poor communication and a lack of respect from general manager Julien BriseBois. "It was never about the money for me," Kucherov said, according to the AP, adding that BriseBois had made clear he was free to walk as a free agent on July 1.

BriseBois said in a statement after the request became public that the team has no intention of trading him. Kucherov, who passed Stamkos in October as the franchise's all-time points leader, is in the final season of an eight-year, $76 million contract signed in 2018. He has helped Tampa Bay win two Stanley Cups and won the Hart Trophy in 2018-19 and 2025-26. He said Monday that he remains part of the team and will do everything he can to help his teammates win.

Where the Lightning stand

The win followed a 6-4 home victory over Winnipeg on Oct. 29 and a 5-4 shootout loss at Nashville on Oct. 31, when Stamkos beat his former team. Tampa Bay sits third in the Atlantic Division with 20 points, behind Boston (23) and Montreal (21), and two points ahead of the Panthers (18). Detroit is tied with Buffalo for last in the division with 17.

The Lightning have created plenty of offense but are still working on their defensive play. Mishkin wrote that Tampa Bay "haven't solved" the defensive issues that have dogged it this season, and noted that Detroit missed several open-net chances in the second period. Detroit has now scored a power-play goal in five straight games.

What's next

The Lightning host the Chicago Blackhawks on Thursday at 7 p.m., with an eighth straight home win on the line, before a weekend road trip to Minnesota on Saturday and Winnipeg on Sunday. The Red Wings host the Vegas Golden Knights on Thursday.

The teams meet again on Saturday, Nov. 14, in Tampa, the night the Lightning plan to debut their new Hometown Remix uniforms.