Lightning's Andrei Vasilevskiy: Stuck with loss in Game 5
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Vasilevskiy allowed four goals on 37 shots in Monday's 6-1 loss to the Panthers in Game 5. The last two goals were empty-netters.
Vasilevskiy couldn't hold back the relentless Panthers offense, taking his fourth loss in five playoff games. The 29-year-old gave up 16 goals on 156 shots, good for an .897 save percentage, during the postseason. Vasilevskiy remains entrenched as the Lightning's No. 1 goalie heading in 2024-25, though he'll be looking to rebound from the statistically worst season of his career -- he had a 30-20-2 record, a 2.90 GAA and a .900 save percentage in 52 regular-season outings in 2023-24.
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Lightning's Andrei Vasilevskiy: Tending twine Monday
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Vasilevskiy will get the starting nod for Monday's Game 5 road tilt with the Panthers, Gabby Shirley of Bally Sports Florida reports.
Vasilevskiy allowed three goals on 25 shots in Saturday's Game 4 win to avoid being swept. He's registered an .899 save percentage through four games this series. Dating back to the regular season, he's dropped six of his last eight games while posting an .891 save percentage. Vasilevskiy hasn't won two straight games since March 27 and 30.
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Lightning's Andrei Vasilevskiy: Nabs first win of series
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Vasilevskiy made 22 saves Saturday during a 6-3 win over the Panthers in Game 4 of the Lightning's first-round series.
Tampa Bay's offense finally got rolling against Sergei Bobrovsky, making Vasilevskiy's job much easier, and after his team grabbed a 3-0 lead in the first period, he made sure Florida would never draw level. The star netminder hasn't played poorly overall but will still take a 3.01 GAA and .899 save percentage into Game 5 on Monday, as the Bolts try to avoid elimination again.
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Lightning's Andrei Vasilevskiy: Starting Game 4
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Vasilevskiy will protect the home net Saturday versus Florida in Game 4, per Chris Krenn of the Lightning's official site.
Vasilevskiy has gone 0-3 this postseason, surrendering nine goals on 94 shots (.904 save percentage). The Lightning need a victory Saturday to avoid a four-game sweep, and the team should get a boost from having Mikhail Sergachev (leg) back in the lineup.
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Lightning's Andrei Vasilevskiy: Falls to Cats again in Game 3
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Vasilevskiy stopped 26 of 30 shots Thursday in a 5-3 loss to the Panthers, with Florida's final goal of Game 3 getting scored into an empty net.
The 29-year-old hasn't been able to steal a game for the Lightning in their first-round series, and as a result Tampa Bay is staring at the possibility of getting swept. Vasilevskiy hasn't played poorly, allowing nine goals on 94 shots in the Bolts' three losses, but he'll likely need to find another gear in order for the team to stay alive past Saturday's Game 4.
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Lightning's Andrei Vasilevskiy: In goal for Game 3
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Vasilevskiy will guard the home goal versus the Panthers on Thursday in Game 3, Chris Krenn of the Lightning's official site reports.
Vasilevskiy has lost four games in a row, though the Lightning haven't scored more than twice in any of those contests. The 29-year-old will look for more goal support on home ice in Thursday's contest, as a loss would put Tampa Bay down 3-0 in the series.
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Lightning's Andrei Vasilevskiy: Outdueled in Game 2
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Vasilevskiy turned aside 34 shots Tuesday in a 3-2 overtime loss to the Panthers in Game 2 of the Lightning's first-round series.
In another outstanding battle between two former Vezina Trophy winners, Vasilevskiy was again outdueled by Sergei Bobrovsky as Tampa Bay fell into an 0-2 hole to begin the series. Vasilevskiy has given up six goals on 64 shots so far in the playoffs, and he actually has only one win in his last six starts dating back to the end of the regular season, posting a 3.40 GAA over that stretch. He'll try to turn things around on home ice in Game 3 on Thursday.
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Lightning's Andrei Vasilevskiy: Defending crease in Game 2
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Vasilevskiy will guard the road net in Game 2 versus Florida on Tuesday, per Eduardo A. Encina of the Tampa Bay Times.
Vasilevskiy stopped 25 of 27 shots in Sunday's 3-1 loss to the Panthers in Game 1. He has lost five of his past six playoff outings, allowing 22 goals on 180 shots for an .878 save percentage over that span.
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Lightning's Andrei Vasilevskiy: Loses in Game 1
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Vasilevskiy allowed two goals on 27 shots in a 3-2 Game 1 loss to the Panthers on Sunday. The third goal was an empty-netter.
With the score tied 1-1 early in the third period, Vasilevskiy allowed a power-play goal to Carter Verhaeghe that eventually lead to a game-winning empty-netter by Matthew Tkachuk. The Lightning would eventually score with 10 seconds left to pull within one, but it would prove to be too late at that point. Vasilevskiy finished with a .926 save percentage en route to his third loss in a row. The 29-year-old netminder is the clear No. 1 option for the Lightning, so expect him to get all the starts throughout the playoffs.
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Lightning's Andrei Vasilevskiy: Starting playoff opener
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Vasilevskiy will guard the road goal Sunday in Game 1 versus Florida, according to Chris Krenn of the Lightning's official site.
Vasilevskiy struggled down the stretch, losing three of four starts and allowing 15 goals on 128 shots. In 52 appearances during the regular season, he provided a 30-20-2 record with two shutouts, a 2.90 GAA and a .900 save percentage. Vasilevskiy also lost two of three meetings against the Panthers, surrendering 12 goals on 103 shots. Florida ranked 11th in the league with 3.23 goals per game during the 2023-24 campaign.
Vasilevskiy allowed four goals on 34 shots in Monday's 4-2 loss to the Sabres.
Vasilevskiy has now dropped back-to-back starts, stopping 30 of 34 shots in both outings, after going 9-2-1 with a .922 save percentage across his previous 12 appearances. Overall, the 29-year-old netminder is 30-20-2 on the season with a .900 save percentage and a 2.90 GAA. The Lightning are back in action at home Wednesday in their regular-season finale against Toronto.
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Lightning's Andrei Vasilevskiy: Tending twine Monday
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Vasilevskiy will protect the home net Monday against Buffalo, according to Chris Krenn of the Lightning's official site.
Vasilevskiy is coming off a 30-save effort in Saturday's 4-2 loss to Washington. He has lost three of his last five outings, posting a .903 save percentage during that span. In 51 appearances this campaign, he has provided a 30-19-2 record with a 2.88 GAA and a .900 save percentage. The Sabres sit 22nd in the league this season with 2.96 goals per contest.
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Lightning's Andrei Vasilevskiy: Dialed in as postseason approaches
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Vasilevskiy made 30 saves in a 4-2 loss to Washington on Saturday.
Vasilevskiy and Charlie Lindgren put on a show, especially in the second when they traded some massive saves. Despite missing a chunk of 2023-24 following back surgery, Vasilevskiy has delivered a seventh-straight 30-win season. He has also clawed his save percentage to the .900 mark and lowered his GAA to 2.87. Since March 9, he is 9-3-1 in 13 starts. A hot Vasilevskiy headed into the postseason is a danger to any team he faces.
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Lightning's Andrei Vasilevskiy: Set to face Capitals
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Vasilevskiy is expected to start on the road against Washington on Saturday, according to Tom Gulitti of NHL.com.
Vasilevskiy has a 30-18-2 record, 2.85 GAA and .901 save percentage in 50 outings in 2023-24. He saved 30 of 32 shots en route to a 5-2 win over Columbus in his last start Tuesday. The Capitals, who have lost seven of their last eight games, are likely to be a favorable matchup for the 29-year-old goaltender.
Lightning's Andrei Vasilevskiy: Earns win over Blue Jackets
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Vasilevskiy stopped 30 of 32 shots in Tuesday's 5-2 win over the Blue Jackets.
The Blue Jackets scored two goals on 14 shots to start the game but Vasilevskiy kicked aside the next 18 sent his way to backstop the win for the Lightning. Over the past 12 games, Vasilevskiy has nine wins, two losses and an overtime loss. Vasilevskiy and the Lightning are on fire as they head down the stretch towards the playoffs and the 29-year-old netminder will be carrying the load between the pipes for them.
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Lightning's Andrei Vasilevskiy: Starting Tuesday
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Vasilevskiy will start at home against Columbus on Tuesday, per Chris Krenn of the Lightning's official site.
Vasilevsky struggled in his last start, allowing five goals on 28 shots in a 5-4 loss to Pittsburgh on Saturday. The 29-year-old has recorded the lowest save percentage of his career at .900 this year to go along with a record of 29-18-2 in 49 appearances. He will have a favorable matchup at home against Columbus, a team which has gone 7-11-6 on the road this year.
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Lightning's Andrei Vasilevskiy: Iced by Penguins
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Vasilevskiy made 23 saves in Saturday's 5-4 loss to Pittsburgh.
The Lightning never led in the game, and a three-goal rally to tie it up in the third period went for naught when Evgeni Malkin made a fantastic play to tip the puck over to Michael Bunting for the game-winning tally past a sprawling Vasilevskiy. The 29-year-old netminder has gone 9-3-1 with a 2.55 GAA and .911 save percentage since the beginning of March as he gears up for the playoffs.
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Lightning's Andrei Vasilevskiy: Starting in Pittsburgh
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Vasilevskiy will guard the road net Saturday against the Penguins, Chris Krenn of the Lightning's official site reports.
Vasilevskiy has won three of his last four starts, posting a .946 save percentage in that span. Overall, the 29-year-old netminder is 29-17-2 with a .901 save percentage and 2.82 GAA on the season. He'll face a Penguins team that's averaging 3.00 goals per game.
