Tampa Bay Lightning Vs. Vancouver Canucks: Goaltender Matchups
The Tampa Bay Lightning finish off their back-to-back weekend series as they head into the Rogers Arena to take on the Vancouver Canucks.
The Tampa Bay Lightning managed to battle back in the third period on Friday night and defeat the Edmonton Oilers 3-2 at Rexall Place in Edmonton. Unfortunately, the Lightning didn’t have very long to celebrate their victory. Tonight, the Bolts are back at it again as they make their way into the Rogers Arena to take on captain Henrik Sedin and the Vancouver Canucks.
Tonight’s game means so much more to the Tampa Bay Lightning than your average game. The Lightning’s faceoff with the Vancouver Canucks marks the 42nd game of the season. This means the Lightning has officially crossed into the back half of the season, where points matter more than ever before.
Given the struggles the Tampa Bay Lightning have dealt with this season, tonight is an opportunity for the Bolts to turn things around and get moving in the right direction. The one thing they’ll have to accomplish if they want to bring home the two points in tonight’s encounter is find some consistency and be offensively aggressive.
As anyone who has ever watched the great game of hockey knows, the team’s goaltender is the last line of defense between the opposing team and the back of the net. If the goaltender is off of their game, the entire team could suffer as a result. Thankfully, the Tampa Bay Lightning has two goaltenders who are up to the task of keeping pucks out of the back of the net.
Guarding the pipes tonight for the Tampa Bay Lightning will be young, Russian netminder Andrei Vasilevskiy. On the other side of the ice, it will be 25 year old, Swedish netminder Jacob Markstrom. It comes as no surprise to see Vasilevskiy between the pipes tonight, as it was Ben Bishop who blocked 24 of 26 shots on goal last night in the Lightning’s win over the Oilers.
Let’s see how these two protectors of the pipes match up against one another.
[table id=11 /]
Jacob Markstrom has a few more games under his belt then Andrei Vasileskiy does this season, but when you take a look at their numbers, they really aren’t that far off from one another. One of the only things that could play against Vasilevskiy in tonight’s encounter is the simple fact he hasn’t had quite as much time on NHL ice this season.
On the other hand, Vasilevskiy is an incredibly talented netminder who is able to use his speed to his advantage. This could help him overcome any rust issues he may be experiencing at this point.
Tonight’s matchup is the second and final time these two teams will meet at center ice this season. The Vancouver Canucks captured the win in their first encounter, which was held on December 22nd at the Amalie Arena here in Tampa. Markstrom was between the pipes for the Canucks that night, but it was Ben Bishop on the other side of the ice in lieu of Andrei Vasilevskiy.
EDITORIAL: Andrej Sustr Continues To Improve
If the Canucks are able to bring home the victory in tonight’s encounter, they will successfully complete a season sweep of the Tampa Bay Lightning. As you can imagine, the Tampa Bay Lightning are going to have something to say about this.
Andrei Vasilevskiy has everything he could possibly need in order to put the breaks on the Canucks’ hopes and dreams of a season sweep. It will be on the Lightning’s offense to be able to put enough pressure of the Vancouver defense, set the tone of the game, and ultimately put the puck in the back of the net.
If they can accomplish this, there is no reason the Tampa Bay Lightning cannot walk out of Rogers Arena with the two points, and finish off this back-to-back series on a high note.
Next: 30 Best Draft Picks in Tampa Bay Lightning History
The puck is scheduled to drop at 10:00 p.m. EST. Make sure to stay connected right here to Bolts By The Bay as we bring you all the latest Tampa Bay Lightning, news, updates, commentary, and more.