Andrei Vasilevskiy Makes Case for Goalie 'Mount Rushmore' as Lightning Sweep Panthers
May 24, 2022
The Tampa Bay Lightning eliminated the Florida Panthers from the postseason with a 2-0 win Monday to complete the second-round series sweep.
The star was Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy, who stopped 49 shots. The 27-year-old continued a stellar playoff run in which he hasn't allowed a third-period goal in six straight games.
Florida won the Presidents' Trophy this year as the team that scored the most points during the regular season. But against Vasilevskiy, the Panthers looked pedestrian, managing just three goals.
Much of the discussion online about the Lightning's win centered around Vasilevskiy and his place in NHL history after yet another special performance.
Chris Krenn @Chris_KrennGoing back to the start of the third period in the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Bolts?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Bolts</a> Game 6 OT win over Toronto, Andrei Vasilevskiy has stopped 179 of the last 183 shots he's faced for a ridiculous .978 save percentage. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/FLAvsTBL?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#FLAvsTBL</a>
Robby Stanley @RStanleyNHLThe run the Tampa Bay Lightning have been on is simply incredible. They're going for three Cups in a row, which in this era of hockey is just borderline unbelievable. <br><br>Andrei Vasilevskiy is still the best goaltender in the world. I'm riding with them until proven otherwise.
The 2018-19 Vezina Trophy winner, Vasilevskiy had already made a strong case to go down as one of the best goalies ever to play in the NHL. He's helped lead Tampa Bay to back-to-back Stanley Cup championships in the last two years, winning the Conn Smythe Trophy in 2021 as the MVP of the postseason.
Vasilevskiy is also riding a streak of five straight seasons as the league leader in wins. He set the record for most victories in a single postseason with 18 in 2020.
The Lightning are attempting to continue a historic run as they chase their third consecutive Cup. With Vasilevskiy in the net, Tampa Bay will have a great chance to stop the Carolina Hurricanes or New York Rangers in the Eastern Conference Final.
