Andrei Vasilevskiy closed another postseason series by turning away every shot. And he’s getting even stingier in net as reigning Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay advances in the playoffs.
The 26-year-old goaltender posted a third straight shutout in a series-clinching victory in Tuesday’s 2-0 win against the Carolina Hurricanes, capping a five-game performance that had him frustrating the Central Division champions nearly the entire way.
Outside of one wild second period in Game 4, Vasilevskiy rarely made mistakes or gave up anything easy.
“It takes everybody to win a playoff game,” Vasilevskiy said. “It can’t just be one, two guys. Other guys, they have to give the best effort every night. Even the last game, I gave up four, we scored six. This game, we just scored two and we gave up nothing. So it’s great teamwork.”
Maybe so, but it sure starts with Vasilevskiy’s steady play in the crease.
He stopped 68 of 70 shots through the first two games of the series, helping Tampa Bay win both on the road just as the Lightning did to start the first-round series against Florida. By the time he had a 29-save shutout Tuesday, Vasilevskiy had surrendered just two goals in 99 shots through three road games — all wins — during the series.
