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Point, Palat miss Sunday’s practice for Lightning

Both are expected to play tonight in Game 2 against the Bruins
 
Published April 29, 2018

BRANDON – Lightning forwards Brayden Point and Ondrej Palat did not practice Sunday, with the team saying their absences were for body maintenance.

F Adam Erne, who returned to practice for the first time since suffering a lower-body injury March 27 in a loss to the Coyotes, and F Cory Conacher skated with F Tyler Johnson on that line.

Point and Palat are expected to play Monday night in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference semifinal against the Bruins. Coach Jon Cooper kept his forward lines the same Sunday, which is a strong indication that he will not change the lineup and will continue to keep the Point line on the Bruins' top line of Patrice Bergeron, David Pastrnak and Brad Marchand.

On the draw

Bergeron won 13 of 23 faceoffs (57 percent)  in Game 1. His best was his win on a power play late in the first period that resulted a few moments later in the first of F Rick Nash's two goals.

A big key to the Lightning's success this series is winning faceoffs, especially against Bergeron.

But as Cooper said before the series began, winning faceoffs against Bergeron is easier said than done.

"There are guys who are elite at what they do," Cooper said Sunday of Bergeron. "No one is going 17-0 against Bergeron. Keep Bergeron at 50 percent and you've done your job. You got to study film, see what (the Bruins) like to do, and try and combat it.

"Bergeron is going to win some faceoffs, but he can't win them all, and they can't be so clean. You disrupt how that faceoff is won so it takes them a little bit out of their rhythm."

Call him Pestrnak

Pastrnak has 17 points (five goals) in eight postseason games after recording four assists in Game 1. He is the first player with 17 points in a team's first eight postseason games since the Penguins' Mario Lemieux in 1992.

It was also Pastrnak's second four-point game this postseason.  Marchand has two four-point games, and Bergeron has one.

Pastrnak and Marchand join Lightning founder Phil Esposito (1969), Johnny Bucyk (1972), Rick Middleton (1982 and 1983) and Barry Pederson (1983) as Bruins to have two four-point games in the same postseason.

Contact Roger Mooney at rmooney@tampabay.com. Follow @rogermooney50.