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Tampa Bay Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy defends the puck from Philadelphia Flyers right wing Garnet Hathaway (Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images)

Vasilevskiy Finds Needed Stride for Lightning in November

Originally posted on The Hockey Writers
By Harrison Smajovits | Last updated Nov 28, 2025 4:40 PM ET

The Tampa Bay Lightning keep finding ways to get into the win column, and a cornerstone piece of this run is goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy. After missing virtually all of training camp and preseason, he took some time to shake the rust off.

How he’s looked in November compared to October has been night and day. After posting an .899 save percentage (SV%) and a 2.61 goals against average (GAA) in eight October games, he bounced back to have a .927 SV% and a 2.08 GAA in November. With the final game of November coming a day after the bout with the Detroit Red Wings on Saturday, these stats likely going to hold for the month.

It hasn’t been pretty every game during this stretch, but he’s played like the Vezina Trophy and Conn Smythe winner that the hockey world has come to know. His success has been against solid competition, and it’s come when the team has needed him, arguably more than ever.

Standing Tall Against Quality Competition

Vasilevskiy hasn’t had much of a chance to tune up against easier competition. The only true low-quality win came against the Calgary Flames on Wednesday. They’ve been on of the worst teams in the NHL;’ there is no way to put a spin on it.

However, they’ve gotten payback against the Washington Capitals, both at home and away, as well as payback against a division-leading New Jersey Devils. They beat the Utah Mammoth when they looked sharper. The Philadelphia Flyers are looking a lot stronger this season and so have the Wings.

The Florida Panthers and Edmonton Oilers haven’t looked their best so far this season, but they’re the two Stanley Cup Finalists last season. There is something there, especially when it comes to a Panthers team that has been a thorn in their sides the last couple of seasons.

Of all the losses they’ve had with Vasilevskiy in net, one was against the Colorado Avalanche. That win got a 10-game winning streak going. The other was the New York Rangers, while they were on their road rampage. The latter represents Vasilevskiy’s lone genuinely-bad game of the month.

He has had no choice but to get it together against teams that were going to give the Lightning fits. He managed to make it happen.

Lightning Arguably Need Vasilevskiy More Than Ever

Saying they might need him more than ever when they’ve won Stanley Cups is bold. Still, hear this out.

It’s getting to the point where it’s repetitive to point this out, but the Lightning keep overcoming the absence of key players for weeks at a time. Until they get full healthy, this is going to matter.

Even with the newfound depth that has stepped up, this is a team that is far removed now from the roster that made a run to back-to-back Cups and three straight Final appearances. One major thing head coach Jon Cooper hasn’t had to worry about amid the chaos is the goalie.

Many of the players in front of the net have changed, but the man between the pipes hasn’t. He’s older than 30 now, but he still plays like he’s 26. It’s helped the Lightning overcome sloppy 5-on-5 defense and a lack of power-play success.

Vasilevskiy is coming off a season where he finished second in Vezina voting. He’s on pace now to have a season where he could repeat being a finalist. The Lightning are currently first in the Atlantic Division. Their netminder gets his share of the credit for that, and he’ll continue to.