Lightning's Andrei Vasilevskiy: Out 8-10 weeks after back surgery
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Vasilevskiy will miss at least 8-10 weeks after undergoing back surgery Thursday, Erik Erlendsson of LightningInsider.com reports.
Vasilevskiy had successful microdiscectomy surgery due to a lumbar disc herniation. This is a major blow to the Lightning as Vasilevskiy is considered a top-three goaltender in the NHL. Vasilevskiy was 34-22-4 with a 2.65 GAA and a .915 save percentage last year, his sixth straight season with 30-plus wins. Look for Jonas Johansson to take over as Tampa Bay's No. 1 netminder for now but don't be surprised if the Lightning look elsewhere for another goaltender.
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Lightning's Andrei Vasilevskiy: Practices Tuesday
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Vasilevskiy (undisclosed) participated in practice Tuesday, per Eduardo A. Encina of the Tampa Bay Times.
The second part of the session included an intrasquad scrimmage, so Vasilevskiy appears to be fine after taking it slow to begin training camp. He posted a 34-22-4 record last season with a 2.65 GAA and a .915 save percentage in 60 appearances.
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Lightning's Andrei Vasilevskiy: Taking it slow to start camp
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The Lightning won't rush Vasilevskiy to start camp, as he's dealing with minor injuries, per Chris Krenn of the Lightning's official site.
Vasilevskiy struggled with injuries late in the 2022-23 campaign, so it stands to reason that Tampa would allow its star netminder to ease into training camp. The 29-year-old went 34-22-4 last season with a .915 save percentage, his lowest mark since 2015.
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Lightning's Andrei Vasilevskiy: Let down by own body this season
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Vasilevskiy is considering training changes after acknowledging his body began to give out on him midway through the regular season, reports NHL.com.
"The first 30-35 games I felt as usual," Vasilevskiy said Tuesday, "but then ... I don't know, me and my body weren't on the same page, I guess. All of those small injuries came out at the same time, so I just ... my mistake was that I didn't really pay attention to recovery, so I kept pushing myself to the limit. As I said after Game 35, my body kind of let me down. To be honest, I didn't feel that great after that." Vasilevskiy won 34 games this season with a 2.65 GAA and .915 save percentage in 60 games. His GAA was his highest, and his save percentage his lowest since he became a full-time starter in 2017-18. Vasilevskiy will be taking an extended time off the ice this offseason to aid his recovery, perhaps as long as seven weeks. And the Lightning will be looking at changing his regular-season training schedule to ensure adequate recovery, so he can return to his elite form.
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Lightning's Andrei Vasilevskiy: 20 saves in OT loss
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Vasilevskiy made 20 saves in a 2-1 overtime loss to the Maple Leafs in Game 6 on Saturday. The Leafs won the series 4-2.
Vasilevskiy was beaten cleanly on an absolute rocket by Auston Matthews in the second, and he had no chance on the overtime winner by John Tavares, which ricocheted in off Darren Raddysh's skate. There will be much debate this offseason after a middling performance from the former Vezina winner, especially with the Bolts otherwise outplaying the Leafs for most of the series. Vasilevskiy finished this postseason with a 2-4-0 record, 3.56 GAA and .875 save percentage.
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Lightning's Andrei Vasilevskiy: Starting Game 6
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Vasilevskiy will guard the home goal in Saturday's Game 6 versus the Maple Leafs, Chris Krenn of the Lightning's official site reports.
Vasilevskiy kept the Lightning's season alive with a 28-save win Thursday, and he'll look to do the same on home ice Saturday. The 28-year-old has posted a mediocre 3.90 GAA and an .870 save percentage through five playoff contests.
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Lightning's Andrei Vasilevskiy: Much improved in Game 5 win
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Vasilevskiy made 28 saves in a 4-2 win over Toronto on Thursday in Game 5.
Vasilevskiy had been average through the first four games, but came to play Thursday. And that's exactly what Tampa Bay needs if they are to advance to the next round. It was Vasilevskiy's 65th career playoff win, tying him with Dominik Hasek for the 12th-most in NHL history. Tampa will look to extend the series Saturday night when they return home for Game 6.
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Lightning's Andrei Vasilevskiy: Starting elimination game
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Vasilevskiy will guard the road goal in Game 5 versus the Maple Leafs on Thursday, Chris Krenn of the Lightning's official site reports.
Vasilevskiy has had a rough postseason so far, going 1-3 with a 4.33 GAA and an .856 save percentage. The Lightning haven't found themselves facing elimination a whole lot over recent years, but they'll need Vasilevskiy to quickly shake off his slump to force a Game 6, which would be Saturday if the Bolts win.
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Lightning's Andrei Vasilevskiy: Can't stop Leafs' comeback
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Vasilevskiy kicked out 32 of 37 shots in a 5-4 overtime loss to Toronto in Game 4 on Monday.
Tampa Bay entered the third period with a 4-1 lead, but Vasilevskiy surrendered three goals on 12 shots in that frame. The Lightning goaltender has dropped to 1-3 with a 4.33 GAA and an .856 save percentage in four playoff starts this year. As underwhelming as he's been, Vasilevskiy's years of postseason accomplishments might lead to Tampa Bay sticking with him for Game 5 on Thursday, especially given that the alternative is Brian Elliott, who posted a 3.40 GAA and an .891 save percentage during the regular season.
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Lightning's Andrei Vasilevskiy: Draws start Monday
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Vasilevskiy will face the Maple Leafs at home for Game 4 on Monday, Chris Krenn of the Lightning's official site reports.
Vasilevskiy is looking to bounce back after a pair of uncharacteristic starts. After winning Game 1, he allowed a combined 11 goals on 64 shots while losing his next two outings. Vasilevskiy has given up at least three goals in five consecutive games, posting a brutal .846 save percentage during that span.
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Lightning's Andrei Vasilevskiy: Simply human in OT loss
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Vasilevskiy made 23 saves in a 4-3 overtime loss to the Maple Leafs on Saturday in Game 3.
Vasilevskiy has allowed 14 goals in the first three games of this series. And his save percentage through 10 career playoff games against the Maple Leafs has dropped to .874. The Leafs were outplayed most of Saturday's game and Vasilevskiy was merely human. That's a bad sign for the Lightning, who need him to be a superstar to win this series.
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Lightning's Andrei Vasilevskiy: Slated to start Saturday
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Vasilevskiy is expected to start at home in Game 3 against Toronto on Saturday, per Chris Krenn of the Lightning's official site.
Vasilevskiy will attempt to bounce back after allowing seven goals on 37 shots in the Lightning's 7-2 loss to Toronto on Thursday. Vasilevskiy was strong during the regular season, posting a 34-22-4 record, 2.65 GAA and .915 save percentage in 60 outings. The Maple Leafs ranked ninth offensively with 3.39 goals per game during the 2022-23 regular season.
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Lightning's Andrei Vasilevskiy: Rare sub-par performance
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Vasilevskiy made 30 saves in a 7-2 loss to the Maple Leafs in Game 2 on Thursday night.
It was a sub-par outing for Vasilevskiy, who had allowed two goals before he made a save. He remains among the very best in the world and will certainly rebound. But with Victor Hedman (undisclosed) and Erik Cernak (head) both out, Vasilevskiy will need to dial his game in to near perfection in the games ahead.
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Lightning's Andrei Vasilevskiy: Starting Game 2
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Vasilevskiy will guard the road in Thursday's Game 2 versus the Maple Leafs, Chris Krenn of the Lightning's official site reports.
Vasilevskiy received plenty of help from his offense while stopping 28 of 31 shots in Tuesday's Game 1 win. The 28-year-old will look to keep up his success -- a win Thursday would send the Lightning home ahead 2-0 in the first-round series.
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Lightning's Andrei Vasilevskiy: Cruises to Game 1 win
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Vasilevskiy made 28 saves in Tuesday's 7-3 Game 1 win over the Maple Leafs.
Vasilevskiy didn't have to be special for Tampa Bay to take Game 1 on the road. Toronto will likely push back -- after all, these same teams went seven games before the Lightning prevailed in the first round last year -- but when push comes to shove, the Lightning can feel much more comfortable with their situation in net. Vasilevskiy improved his career playoff record to 64-38, while Ilya Samsonov fell to 1-7 and got the hook after allowing six goals in two periods.
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Lightning's Andrei Vasilevskiy: Gets Game 1 start
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Vasilevskiy led the Lightning onto the ice, indicating he'll start Game 1 on the road Tuesday in Toronto, Chris Krenn of the Lightning's official site reports.
To no one's surprise, Vasilevskiy is set to once again backstop the Lightning's playoff run. He stopped 92 of 101 shots over three games versus the Maple Leafs this season, though he only won one of those appearances.
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Lightning's Andrei Vasilevskiy: Falls to Maple Leafs
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Vasilevskiy turned aside 20 of 24 shots in a 4-3 loss to Toronto on Tuesday.
Vasilevskiy also allowed six goals on 37 shots in a 6-3 loss to the Rangers on April 5, making Tuesday's defeat his second straight poor start, not exactly what you want to see out of your star goaltender right before the playoffs. Still, Vasilevskiy has been solid this season, posting a 34-22-4 record, 2.65 GAA and .914 save percentage in 60 appearances.
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Lightning's Andrei Vasilevskiy: Taking on Toronto
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Vasilevskiy will patrol the home crease versus the Maple Leafs on Tuesday, TSN's Chris Johnston reports.
Vasilevskiy struggled in his last start Thursday against the Rangers, surrendering six goals on 37 shots en route to a 6-3 defeat. He'll try to get back in the win column in a home matchup with a Toronto team that's 21-13-5 on the road this year.
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Lightning's Andrei Vasilevskiy: Cooled off by Rangers
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Vasilevskiy surrendered six goals on 37 shots in Wednesday's 6-3 loss to the Rangers.
After allowing just one goal over his previous three outings combined, Vasilevskiy promptly surrendered three in the first 10:21. The Lightning got back within a goal at 3-2 and again at 4-3 in the middle frame, but New York regained some breathing room by beating Vasilevskiy twice in the third. Tampa Bay will be right back in action Thursday on Long Island, but Vasilevskiy will likely cede the crease to Brian Elliott for that second leg of a back-to-back after falling to 34-21-4 on the season.
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Lightning's Andrei Vasilevskiy: In goal Wednesday
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Vasilevskiy will get the starting nod on the road against the Rangers on Wednesday, Arthur Staple of The Athletic reports.
Vasilevskiy will be looking to extend his three-game winning streak, which includes a pair of shutouts versus the Hurricanes and Islanders. It's been a return to form for the Russian backstop in a season that has seen him post the most losses in his nine-year NHL career. Despite that, Vasilevskiy needs just one more victory to reach the 35-win mark for the fifth time in the last six years.
