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Andrei Vasilevskiy Shines As Tampa Bay Lightning Halt Losing Skid

By Lauren Burg

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3. 23. Final. 1. 68

Having lost two straight and five of their last seven, the Tampa Bay Lightning were searching for a spark. They received that from recent call-up Andrei Vasilevskiy in Tuesday night’s 3-1 win over the Philadelphia Flyers.

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A bit slow out of the gate, it was clear the Lightning were less than 24 hours removed from playing in Pittsburgh. Both teams got great scoring chances though, with Vasilevskiy and the Flyers Steve Mason coming up huge.

Near the end of 20 minutes, and after two failed power play opportunities, the Lightning took a penalty. Seconds later, the Flyers shot the puck through a maze of players. It ended up hitting Wayne Simmonds in front and deflecting past Vasilevskiy for another early 1-0 deficit.

I’m unsure what exactly was said in the locker room between the first and second period, but whatever it was the Tampa Bay Lightning responded. They played by far their best middle frame in awhile, scoring not one but two goals to take the lead.

Captain Steven Stamkos got things started, taking a beautiful pass from rookie Jonathan Drouin and sniping it past Mason. Ryan Callahan was credited with the secondary assist, his first of two helpers on the night.

Four and a half minutes later, the Lightning struck again. After killing their own power play, Nikita Kucherov held the puck in the offensive zone. He then passed it off to Tyler Johnson who quickly beat Mason to make it 2-1 after 40 minutes.

The third period was a lot of dump-and-chase, with the Bolts able to showcase their speed. Kucherov was denied of two possible highlight-reel goals by Mason, who also stopped rookie Cedric Paquette, Callahan and Johnson on a mini breakaway.

Meanwhile, the Flyers continued testing Vasilevskiy. He continued to stand tall, stopping all eight shots he faced, including a few great chances in tight during the final few minutes.

With under a minute remaining in the game, Paquette blocked a shot and then started a rush the other way. After pausing for a split second, he passed it up to Valtteri Filppula who scored into the empty net. That made it 3-1 Bolts and the sun was shining once again.

Obviously, losing a goaltender like Ben Bishop is never good and we certainly hope he heals fast. However, for a 20-year-old thrust into his first NHL regular season action, Vasilevskiy provided hope for a bright future at hockey’s most important position.

He also puts the Tampa Bay Lightning in a situation most organizations dream of. Four promising, young goaltenders with experience and only two NHL roster spots. That’s a great problem to have, as it provides hope in the event someone goes down due to injury or illness.

Another thing I’d like to mention is the power play. One shot on two separate opportunities. Are you kidding me? I know the Bolts scored the game winner right after it expired at one point tonight, but generally speaking a shot or three on an opportunity likely won’t score you a goal. More shots–quality shots–are needed and the puck retreval must be better.

This is a good stepping stone for the Bolts. A win when trailing after the first period. Friday night, they face another set of challenges against Jaromir Jagr and the always-tough New Jersey Devils. Puck drop’s set for 7 p.m.

Going through a difficult stretch lately, the Devils are going to come out hard and fast. The Lightning need to be ready, or it could end up being a long night. Beating Cory Schneider (or whoever’s in net for them) early would be a good idea as well.

What are your thoughts regarding the Tampa Bay Lightning’s win over the Philadelphia Flyers Tuesday night? What do you think of Andrei Vasilevskiy’s performance in net? Do you think he’s the answer behind Bishop in the years to come? Let us know what you think in the comment section below.

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