Lightning's Brian Elliott: Ends regular season with shutout
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Elliott made 32 saves in a 5-0 win over Detroit on Thursday.
It was the 38-year-old veteran's 45th career shutout and a fantastic way to finish what could be his last regular-season game. Elliott is in his 16th NHL season, with a 278-267-54 record overall. This season, he has registered a 12-8-2 record, but his 3.56 GAA and .886 save percentage are among the worst of his career. Father Time is approaching, but Elliott and the Lightning are looking forward to their playoff opener next week in Toronto.
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Lightning's Brian Elliott: Slated to start
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Per Gabby Shirley of Bally Sports Florida, Elliott was the first goalie off the ice at morning skate, putting him on track to guard the home goal versus the Red Wings on Thursday.
Elliott has struggled over the past week, going 0-2-0 while posting an unsightly 6.06 GAA and .852 save percentage. He'll try to snap his personal three-game losing streak in a home matchup with a struggling Detroit team that's lost four straight contests.
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Lightning's Brian Elliott: Third straight loss
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Elliott made 33 saves in a 7-4 loss to the Senators on Saturday.
He allowed six goals. Elliott started with a wobble -- Drake Batherson scored 30 seconds into the game when he redirected a shot from Erik Brannstrom. He settled in, but the game see-sawed back and forth until Alex DeBrincat pushed the Sens up 4-3 in the last minute of the second frame. Elliott has now lost his last three games.
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Lightning's Brian Elliott: First off Saturday
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Elliott was the first goalie off the ice at the morning skate, Gabby Shirley of Bally Sports Florida reports, indicating he will start in Ottawa on Saturday.
Elliott has surrendered six goals in each of his past two outings, including a 7-2 loss to the Senators on March 23. He has posted a record of 11-7-2 this season with a 3.43 GAA and an .888 save percentage in 20 appearances. Ottawa ranks 19th in the league this campaign with 3.11 goals per game.
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Lightning's Brian Elliott: Team doesn't show up for goalie
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Elliott made 36 saves in a 6-1 loss to the Islanders on Thursday.
Bolts' coach Jon Cooper didn't mince words after the game, talking about his team putting in its second straight embarrassing performance. Elliott tried to do his part, but it's hard to be the only guy on his team that shows up. The Bolts have just three games left this season -- Saturday, Tuesday and Thursday -- to get their game together. It remains to be seen if Andrei Vasilevskiy will get all three or if Elliott perhaps starts one.
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Lightning's Brian Elliott: Gets starting nod Thursday
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Elliott will be between the road pipes versus the Islanders on Thursday, Dan Rosen of NHL.com reports.
With the Lightning heading into their final back-to-back of the season, this could be the last start for Elliott this season. The veteran netminder is sporting an 11-6-2 record with a 3.30 GAA, .891 save percentage and one shutout in 19 appearances. Once the postseason kicks off, Andrei Vasilevskiy will be the preferred choice in the crease for coach Jon Cooper.
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Lightning's Brian Elliott: Hung out to dry by mates
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Elliott made 28 saves Thursday in a 7-2 loss to Ottawa.
The Sens were hot and the Bolts were not. And that was a recipe that delivered the visitors from Tampa Bay a stinging loss. Elliott wasn't to blame -- he got little to no support and the coach called out the team after the game. "It's all self-inflicted," said Lightning coach Jon Cooper. "Not sure when they are going to learn. There's a little bit of us feeling sorry for ourselves." Elliott remains a reasonable fantasy play if the Bolts can tighten things up.
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Lightning's Brian Elliott: Set to face Senators
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Elliott is expected to start on the road against Ottawa on Thursday, per TSN 1200 Ottawa.
Elliott has won his last two contests, saving 40 of 44 shots in that span. He has an 11-5-2 record, 3.15 GAA and .895 save percentage in 18 appearances this season. Ottawa has been struggling, losing five of its last six to drop to 34-32-5.
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Lightning's Brian Elliott: Solid when needed
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Elliott made 18 saves in a 5-3 win over Montreal on Saturday.
Elliott was solid. Full stop. His team failed him with poor puck management in the second, and he was on the short side of a 3-2 score heading into the third. But the game was played almost entirely in the Habs' zone in the final frame and Elliott stopped what he needed to stop to retain the lead. It was his second straight win. Elliott will likely see play in back-to-backs, but little else unless the Bolts decide to give Andrei Vasilevskiy a rest.
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Lightning's Brian Elliott: Facing Canadiens
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Elliott will get the home crease versus Montreal on Saturday, Chris Krenn of the Lightning's official site reports.
Elliott picked up his first win in five starts March 11, stopping 22 shots in a 3-1 victory over Chicago. He is 10-5-2 with a 3.16 GAA and .896 save percentage. Elliott faces the Canadiens, who are 28th in NHL scoring, averaging 2.77 goals per contest.
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Lightning's Brian Elliott: Finally back in win column
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Elliott stopped 22 of 23 shots in a 3-1 win over Chicago on Saturday.
Taylor Raddysh was the only Blackhawk to beat him, scoring on a one-timer from the left face-off circle. Elliott hadn't won since Jan. 18, and he had allowed 12 goals in two recent losses to the Penguins (Feb. 26) and Sabres (March 4).
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Lightning's Brian Elliott: First off ice Saturday
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Elliott was the first goaltender off the ice at practice Saturday, indicating he will be the starter versus Chicago, Gabby Shirley of Bally Sports Florida reports.
Elliott has been on the bench the last three games following a performance in which he gave up five goals on 34 shots in a 5-3 loss to Buffalo. Elliott is 9-5-2 with a 3.29 GAA and .894 save percentage this season. He will face the Blackhawks, who are the lowest scoring team in the NHL, averaging 2.49 goals per game.
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Lightning's Brian Elliott: Rattled by Sabres
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Elliott made 29 saves in Saturday's 5-3 loss to Buffalo.
The Lightning grabbed a 1-0 lead midway through the first period but then watched the Sabres score five straight times, with two of the tallies coming on Buffalo power plays. Elliott hasn't won a game in over a month, going 0-2-2 over his last four starts, and on the season the veteran netminder carries a shaky 3.29 GAA and .894 save percentage.
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Lightning's Brian Elliott: Starting in Buffalo
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Elliott will defend the road goal Saturday against Buffalo, Chris Krenn of the Lightning's official site reports.
Elliott is coming off a 29-save effort in a 7-2 loss to Pittsburgh last Sunday. He has a 9-4-2 record this season with a 3.17 GAA and an .897 save percentage. The Sabres sit third overall this campaign with 3.72 goals per game.
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Lightning's Brian Elliott: Surrenders seven goals vs. Penguins
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Elliott stopped 29 of 36 shots in a 7-3 loss to Pittsburgh on Sunday.
Most of the damage came in the second period when Elliott surrendered six goals on 19 shots. He dropped to 9-4-2 with a 3.17 GAA and an .897 save percentage in 15 contests this season. In stark contrast, Elliott posted a 26-save shutout against Arizona in his previous start Feb. 15.
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Lightning's Brian Elliott: Starting in Pittsburgh
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Elliott will defend the road net Sunday against Pittsburgh, Penguins radio play-by-play announcer Josh Getzoff reports.
Elliott has a 9-3-2 record this season with a 2.90 GAA and a .904 save percentage. He will get the second half of Tampa Bay's back-to-back after Andrei Vasilevskiy played in Saturday's 3-0 win over Detroit. The Penguins sit 15th in the league this campaign with 3.17 goals per game.
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Lightning's Brian Elliott: No help in shootout loss
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Elliott recorded a 26-save shutout but took a 1-0 shootout loss to the Coyotes on Wednesday.
A battle of the backups turned into a goaltending duel, as Elliott and Connor Ingram (47 saves) kept the puck away from the twine for 65 minutes. While it came in a shootout loss, this was Elliott's first shutout of the season -- he has at least one in each of the last 13 campaigns. The 37-year-old veteran is now at 9-3-2 with a 2.90 GAA and a .904 save percentage through 14 appearances this season. Only four of his starts have come outside of back-to-back situations, so it's safe to assume Elliott's playing time will remain sparse as long as Andrei Vasilevskiy is healthy.
