Tampa Bay stays with Vasilevskiy

Kuznetsov Vasilevskiy from angle.

That puck can’t go in. When it did, the Lightning went from a goal down to two down. The air was sucked right out of Amalie Arena. It was a Capitals jamboree from there on out.

Vasilevskiy didn’t talk to media after Game 2. Nor did he speak at the Jet Center on Monday before the Lightning headed to D.C.

Maybe Vasilevskiy isn’t comfortable around the TV cameras, but he doesn’t look too comfortable around Kuznetsov and Alex Ovechkin, either.

Stepping up after games is something he needs to grow up and into. It’s part of being the man.

Is he shot? Did all those games during the season take their toll? Or is this just a simple case of this is how far Vasilevskiy can take the Lightning at this point in his career. Is he just not ready to go all the way?

But the Lightning have pushed all of their chips in on Vasilevskiy.

“It’s the chances we’re giving up,” Cooper said. “It’s the five-man unit in front of him. You’ve got to feel for him. The choice for the guy going over the boards in any situation is Vasilevskiy.”

“He’s one of those guys. His compete level is so high, he puts a lot of pressure on himself,” Hedman said. “You want that in a goalie.”

It will take more than that in Game 3. Your goalie has to win a few games when it matters most. There can’t be a bad goal at just the wrong time.

Still, the Lightning need to ride Vasilevskiy — for his present and his future. But no one said it would be easy. a beat sharp