The Backcheck: Elliott and Point lead Bolts over Nashville

On the night of the 300th-consecutive sellout at AMALIE Arena, the Tampa Bay Lightning rewarded a loyal fanbase with a 5-2 win over the Nashville Predators.
Behind a 33-save performance from Brian Elliott and multi-point games from Brayden Point and Steven Stamkos, the Bolts improved to 16-9-1 on the season with a 9-4-1 record on home ice.

Following a disappointing first period against the Detroit Red Wings on Tuesday night, it was clear that Tampa Bay wanted to kick off Thursday's game with the right energy, attitude and execution.
The Bolts did exactly that when Brayden Point opened the scoring just 1:16 into the game and Corey Perry followed up with a power-play goal 1:37 later to make it a 2-0 game less than three minutes into the contest.
With Ryan McDonagh back in the house on Thursday night, an extremely well-produced tribute video was played on the jumbotron during the first TV timeout of the game. With memories of McDonagh's arrival in Tampa, the two Stanley Cups, the visit to the White House, and so much more, an emotional McDonagh gave a wave to the crowd as the whole building rose to their feet, including players from both benches, to give one of the loudest ovations of the night.
Nearly immediately after the video tribute, Nashville scored a shorthanded goal to get within one goal of the Bolts.

"We came out of the gate phenomenal and had the two-goal lead," said Lightning head coach Jon Cooper. "To be honest, what derailed us, it derailed me anyway, was the McDonagh tribute. It was like the worst timing ever because we were rolling.
"I don't know if there was a dry eye on the bench. That was one of the best tributes I've seen, definitely here, so it was pretty moving. Coincidentally, we gave up a shorthanded goal right after that, so I blame Mac. He had his imprint on the game sitting in the stands.
"It was a really moving tribute. It was great. He deserved everything, but it just shows how much he meant to this organization."
After heading to the first intermission up 2-1, Tampa Bay surrendered the lead at the 12:36 mark of the second and went to the locker room with the game tied at two and shots even at 19 apiece.
"We knew that we didn't play our best," said Cooper. "Like I said, that first period, we came out and we really dictated play. I thought that first five minutes of the second period, we had the puck the whole time.
"We didn't shoot, and we let them off the hook. Then they pushed back. They're a good hockey team. They're going to push back, and they did."
But with the game tied at two to start the third period, the Lightning came out with a purpose and took a 3-2 lead 2:14 into the final frame with Point getting his second goal of the night.
"Getting that third one was big," Cooper said. "Now that puts them on their heels a little bit and we took it home from there.
"The bottom line is, the other team's always trying to win too. Good on them for pushing, but good on us to reel it in in the third."
Following Point's second goal of the night, Nick Paul scored his 12th goal of the season with 12:50 remaining in regulation to make it a 4-2 game. Brandon Hagel went on to add a beauty of a shorthanded goal at the 15:40 mark with a bar-down shot right over the glove of Jusse Saros.

"Yeah, finally," said Hagel, who has continuously generated shorthanded chances throughout the year before breaking through with his first shorthanded goal of the season on Thursday. "I've had how many breakaways? Of course, that one goes in with the most pressure on me. Finally get that out of the way. I feel like we're not cursed anymore and maybe a few more will go in."
With the win, Cooper became the fastest coach in NHL history to reach 450 career wins. Cooper hit the milestone in 741 games, one game ahead of Bruce Boudreau, who required 742 games to hit 450 career wins.
"The joke behind closed doors is if the team wins, it was coached," joked Cooper. "If we lose, it's on the players. That's the joke about it.
"It's the organization. I've been privileged to be behind the bench with a lot of phenomenal players and some of the best in the world. When you win games, your players are winning the games for you."
In total, 12 different players on the Tampa Bay roster recorded a point in the win on Thursday, including Elliott, who picked up his first assist of the season on Hagel's shorthanded goal. The Bolts will look to keep that going as the season-long, six-game homestand rolls on with an intrastate rivalry game against the Florida Panthers on Saturday. Puck drop is set for 4:30 p.m. ET.
NOTABLE
- Steven Stamkos extended his seasonlong point streak to 12 games with two assists. It's the second-longest point streak of his career and longest among all Bolts skaters this season. It's also the fourth-longest in the NHL this season. - Brian Elliott earned his sixthstraight win with his 33-save performance. He's 6-1-0 on the season. - Mikhail Sergachev recorded his 20th assist of the season. He's on pace to record 63 helpers this season. His career high is 31.