Lightning's Andrei Vasilevskiy: Three-peat quest ends
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Vasilevskiy allowed two goals on 30 shots in Sunday's 2-1 loss to the Avalanche in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final.
Vasilevskiy couldn't make an early one-goal lead stand, and the Avalanche's suffocating defense in the third period prevented the Lightning from making a comeback. With the loss, the Lightning came up two wins shy of a three-peat. Vasilevskiy went 14-9 with a 2.52 GAA and a .922 save percentage in 23 playoff contests. While it wasn't his best season compared to recent years, the 27-year-old should still be one of the first goalies off the board in fantasy drafts this fall since he plays a workhorse role on a strong team.
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Lightning's Andrei Vasilevskiy: Starting Game 6
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Vasilevskiy will start Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final on Sunday against visiting Colorado, Tom Gulitti of NHL.com reports.
Vasilevskiy and the Bolts will look to stave off elimination for the second game in a row and send the series back to Denver for a decisive Game 7 on Tuesday. The Russian netminder hasn't been as stellar against Colorado, posting a 3.45 GAA and .901 save percentage through five games.
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Lightning's Andrei Vasilevskiy: Keeps series going
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Vasilevskiy stopped 35 of 37 shots in Friday's 3-2 win over the Avalanche in Game 5.
Vasilevskiy was sharp Friday, and he got enough help for the win this time after a similar performance in a loss Wednesday. He's gotten better as the series has gone on, with just seven goals allowed in his last three games compared to 11 surrendered in the first two contests. Vasilevskiy is locked in as the Lightning's starter, so he can be expected to play again in Sunday's Game 6 as the Lightning look to even the series.
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Lightning's Andrei Vasilevskiy: In goal for Game 5
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Vasilevskiy will guard the road cage during Friday's Game 5 versus Colorado.
Vasilevskiy was rock solid in Wednesday's Game 4 against the Avalanche, stopping 34 of 37 shots, but he ultimately came away with his eighth loss of the postseason due to insufficient goal support from his teammates. He'll try to help his team stave off elimination by shooting for his 14th win of the playoffs in a rematch with the same Colorado squad Friday.
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Lightning's Andrei Vasilevskiy: Stops 34 in Game 4 loss
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Vasilevskiy allowed three goals on 37 shots in Wednesday's 3-2 overtime loss to the Avalanche.
Vasilevskiy was sharp again Wednesday but allowed a third-period goal to Andrew Cogliano before Nazem Kadri scored the overtime winner. Vasilevskiy has an .889 save percentage in the Stanley Cup Finals as Tampa Bay now faces a 3-1 series deficit. He'll be back in net Friday as the Lightning try to keep the series alive in Game 5.
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Lightning's Andrei Vasilevskiy: In goal versus Avs
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Vasilevskiy will get the starting nod at home for Game 4 against Colorado on Wednesday, Ryan Rishaug of TSN.ca reports.
Vasilevskiy bounced back from a disappointing start to the series with a 37-save victory in Game 3 that he will likely need to repeat if the Bolts are going to even out the series. In nine home outings this postseason, Vasilevskiy has lost just once while sporting a 1.73 GAA and .947 save percentage.
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Lightning's Andrei Vasilevskiy: Bounces back Monday
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Vasilevskiy stopped 37 of 39 shots in a 6-2 win over the Avalanche in Monday's Game 3.
A return home was just what Vasilevskiy needed, as he picked up his first win since Game 6 versus the Rangers. This was still a tough game for the 27-year-old, as the Lightning have surrendered at least 30 shots in every game of the Stanley Cup Finals so far. He'll look to build off of this performance for Wednesday's Game 4, where a win would allow the Lightning to level the series at two games apiece.
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Lightning's Andrei Vasilevskiy: Starting Game 3
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Vasilevskiy will get the starting nod versus Colorado for Game 3 at home on Monday, Joe Smith of The Athletic reports.
Vasilevskiy has struggled to open the series with 11 goals allowed on 68 shots (.838 save percentage) through the opening two games but will return to Amalie Arena where the netminder is 7-1 with a .947 save percentage and 2.03 GAA this postseason. Vasilevskiy was unimpressive during the first two games of the Eastern Conference finals as well before winning the next four games, so it's hard to count out the two-time Stanley Cup champion despite the last two performances.
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Lightning's Andrei Vasilevskiy: Lit up Saturday
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Vasilevskiy allowed seven goals on 30 shots in Saturday's 7-0 loss to the Avalanche in Game 2.
The Avalanche nearly doubled up the Lightning in shots (30-17), and Vasilevskiy had no answer for the second game in a row. This marks just the second time he's lost consecutive starts this postseason, though the Lightning bounced back from an 0-2 deficit in the last round versus the Rangers. Vasilevskiy will hope for better fortune on home ice in Monday's Game 3.
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Lightning's Andrei Vasilevskiy: Starting Game 2
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Vasilevskiy is expected to start Game 2 in Colorado on Saturday, Tom Gulitti of NHL.com reports.
Vasilevskiy coughed up four goals on 38 shots in the Game 1 overtime loss Wednesday. The 27-year-old is 12-6 with a 2.36 GAA and a .926 save percentage through 18 postseason appearances. He's lost all three of his starts against the Avalanche this season.
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Lightning's Andrei Vasilevskiy: Loses Game 1 in overtime
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Vasilevskiy allowed four goals on 38 shots in Wednesday's 4-3 overtime loss to the Avalanche in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Finals.
The Lightning were outplayed early on, as the Avalanche struck three times in the first period. Vasilevskiy settled in after that, but he gave up the decisive goal 1:23 into overtime. He's now 12-6 with a 2.36 GAA and a .926 save percentage through 18 playoff contests. He's struggled in series openers this year, only to find a groove after that, so it's reasonable to expect the 27-year-old to bounce back in Saturday's Game 2.
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Lightning's Andrei Vasilevskiy: In goal for Game 1
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Vasilevskiy will guard the road cage during Wednesday's Game 1 versus the Avalanche, NHL.com's Kevin Woodley reports.
Vasilevskiy was his usual excellent self during the Lightning's Eastern Conference Finals win over the Rangers, going 4-2-0 while posting an admirable 2.35 GAA and .919 save percentage. He'll try to help his team start the Stanley Cup Finals off on a high note by going for his 13th win of the postseason in a matchup with a stacked Colorado squad that's averaged 4.64 goals per game through 14 playoff contests this year, best in the NHL.
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Lightning's Andrei Vasilevskiy: Clinches series Saturday
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Vasilevskiy stopped 20 of 21 shots in Saturday's 2-1 win over the Rangers in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Final.
Vasilevskiy permitted just a single goal for the third straight game, and he closed out the series with five goals allowed over four consecutive wins. The tally he allowed Saturday was a Frank Vatrano goal that was answered just 21 seconds later by Steven Stamkos. Vasilevskiy is 12-5 with a 2.27 GAA and a .928 save percentage in 17 playoff contests, and he'll now turn his attention to the Avalanche in the Stanley Cup Final. Game 1 is scheduled for Wednesday in Denver.
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Lightning's Andrei Vasilevskiy: Going for fourth straight win
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Vasilevskiy will protect the home goal in Saturday's Game 6 versus the Rangers, Erik Erlendsson of LightningInsider.com reports.
Vasilevskiy will look to earn his fourth straight win. The 27-year-old has shutouts in two of his last three series-clinching wins, and he's allowed just four goals during his current winning streak, so he has a lot of favorable trends on his side heading into this contest.
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Lightning's Andrei Vasilevskiy: Victorious in Game 5
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Vasilevskiy stopped 24 of 25 shots in Thursday's 3-1 win over the Rangers in Game 5.
For the first time since Game 1 of the first round, the Rangers lost on home ice, thanks to a locked-in effort from Vasilevskiy. He had a handful of key saves, and late goals by Ondrej Palat and Brandon Hagel helped the Lightning head home up 3-2 in the series. Vasilevskiy has won three games in a row, allowing just four tallies in that span, and he'll now have up to two chances to send the Lightning to the Stanley Cup Finals for a third year in a row. Game 6 is set for Saturday in Tampa.
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Lightning's Andrei Vasilevskiy: Guarding cage Thursday
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Vasilevskiy will guard the road goal in Thursday's Game 5 versus the Rangers, Tom Gulitti of NHL.com reports.
Vasilevskiy was excellent at home, stopping 62 of 65 shots across two games to help the Lightning tie the series at two games apiece. He'll unsurprisingly start again with the intent to send the Lightning back home with a series lead, though the Rangers have won eight of their nine playoff games at Madison Square Garden this spring.
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Lightning's Andrei Vasilevskiy: Excellent again to even series
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Vasilevskiy stopped 33 of 34 shots in Tuesday's 4-1 victory over the Rangers in Game 4.
Vasilevskiy kept the Rangers off the scoreboard until Artemi Panarin's power-play goal late in the third period. The 27-year-old netminder has stopped 60 of 64 shots in his last two starts, improving his save percentage to .925 in the postseason. Vasilevskiy will be back in goal Thursday for Game 5 as the series moves back to New York tied 2-2.
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Lightning's Andrei Vasilevskiy: In goal again Tuesday
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Vasilevskiy will guard the home goal Tuesday versus the Rangers in Game 4, Tom Gulitti of NHL.com reports.
Vasilevskiy picked up his first win of the Eastern Conference Finals with 28 saves on 30 shots in Game 3. He'll look to keep up the success at home, where the Lightning have won five straight playoff games.
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Lightning's Andrei Vasilevskiy: Stops 28 in Game 3 victory
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Vasilevskiy allowed two goals on 30 shots in Sunday's 3-2 win over the Rangers in Game 3.
Vasilevskiy was sharp Sunday, stopping 28 of 30 shots with both Ranger goals coming on second-period power plays. The 27-year-old netminder has a .922 save percentage through 14 postseason starts. Vasilevskiy will be back in goal Tuesday as the Lightning look to even the series in Game 4.
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Lightning's Andrei Vasilevskiy: Starting Game 3
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Vasilevskiy will guard the home net Sunday for Game 3 against the Rangers, per Dan Rosen of NHL.com.
Vasilevskiy has had a shaky start to the series, allowing nine goals in the first two games. The 27-year-old netminder now has a .921 save percentage and a 2.58 GAA in the postseason. Vasilevskiy will look to bounce back as the Lightning try to overcome a 2-0 series deficit.
