Point cleared for action, will suit up against the Leafs tonight

The Tampa Bay Lightning will roll into Toronto on Thursday night with a 1-1-1 record. Most, I'm sure, expected the Bolts to blow the doors off to start the season, picking up where they left off in the regular season last year, but Tampa has looked very pedestrian in the early going. That is all about to change.

TSN's Darren Dreger has confirmed that forward Brayden Point has been cleared to return to game action and will suit up against the Leafs. Point has been skating on Tampa's top line with Steven Stamkos and Nikita Kucherov in practice and that looks to be where he will slot in on Thursday. With 92 points in 79 contests last season, this is a huge boost for a Lightning team who is eager to put last season's first round playoff elimination behind them and is focused on building on last season's historical run.

Point had been recovering from off-season hip surgery, which had kept him out of training camp and the exhibition schedule.

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