Brayden Point isn’t the biggest name among stars in the NHL playoffs, though it is difficult to imagine the Lightning being where they are without him.

No one has scored more goals over the last four postseasons, and the 25-year-old center has a knack for delivering when the defending Stanley Cup champions need it most.

“There are certain guys that have got that ‘it’ factor,” coach Jon Cooper said. “Pointer’s one of those guys.”

With linemate Nikita Kucherov back in the lineup after missing the entire regular season and Point playing as well as ever, the Lightning rolled through the first two rounds of the playoffs to reach the Stanley Cup semifinals for the fifth time in seven years.

Point scored his league-leading ninth goal of the postseason during Sunday’s 2-1 loss to the Islanders in Game 1 of a rematch of the 2020 Eastern Conference final. Game 2 is Tuesday night, with the Lightning facing a series deficit for the first time since dropping the opener of last year’s Stanley Cup Final against the Stars.

Point has six goals in the Lightning’s last seven games, including the third series-clincher of his career against the Hurricanes in the second round. The barrage comes on the heels of scoring a franchise-record 14 during last year’s title run in the NHL bubble and gives him 31 playoff goals since 2018.

“You can see it’s not a fluke. He’s a heck of a player,” Cooper said. “There are a lot of players on this team that do big things in big moments. The moment’s not too big for him. He just continues to deliver for us.”

Colleges: Virginia staved off elimination for the sixth time in eight NCAA Tournament games, beating Dallas Baptist 5-2 in Game 3 of a super regional to advance to the College World Series. The Cavaliers (35-25), who last made the CWS when they won it in 2015, will play No. 3 national seed Tennessee (50-17) in its first game of the CWS, which starts Saturday in Omaha, Nebraska. Other set matchups: NC State (35-18) vs. Stanford (38-15) and Arizona (45-22) vs. Vanderbilt (45-15). No. 2 Texas (47-15) also advanced and will face the winner of Monday’s super regional between No. 10 Notre Dame (34-12) and No. 7 Mississippi State (41-16), which ended too late for this edition. ... Former Nebraska QB Luke McCaffrey, who spent several months with Louisville this offseason, transferred to Rice.

Golf: Matilda Castren became the first Finnish winner in LPGA Tour history Sunday, securing a two-stroke victory over Taiwan’s Min Lee at the MEDIHEAL Championship in Daly City, California. The 26-year-old former Florida State player won in her 15th career start.

NFL: Jets WR Jamison Crowder avoided being released by agreeing to a pay cut, ESPN reported. Crowder, 27, the team’s leading receiver the last two seasons, was due to make a non-guaranteed $10 million in base pay for 2021.

Soccer: Patrik Schick looped in a goal from just inside the halfway line to help the Czech Republic beat host Scotland 2-0 in a European Championship group-play match. UEFA said it was the longest distance for a goal in the tournament at 163.1 feet. Schick scored both goals in the victory.