Guess who’s playing in goal now!
Vasilevskiy thrust into spotlight for Lightning
The best part of the craziness that unfolded in the Tampa Bay crease with about 10 minutes left in Game 2 was that the confusion in Amalie Arena extended right to the Lightning bench.
As everyone from the fans to the press to the television crews tried to figure out what was causing Ben Bishop to leave the net, then come back 92 seconds later, then leave again — bum knee? sore tummy? potty break? — the players themselves weren’t sure what was happening.
“No one really knew what was going on,” Steven Stamkos said. “We were kind of listening to the (public-address) announcements for who was in net for our team a couple of times.”
Aside from the fact that it’s pretty funny that Stamkos, the captain, didn’t feel the need to ask the coaching staff what was wrong, or that he didn’t just, you know, look in the net to see who was playing there, it says something that, with Tampa Bay’s season on the line, the Lightning were ready to roll with the sudden crisis.
“To be honest, there weren’t many guys that had much to say, we just went with the flow,” Stamkos said. “We have confidence in Vasy.”
Vasy is Andrei Vasilevskiy, the 20-year-old Russian who, for a guy that is not yet of legal drinking age in Florida, already has a rather accomplished résumé. He played for Russia three times at the world junior championship, collecting three medals, and last year was in net for the senior team at the worlds, winning the gold medal. That last feat earned him the Russian Medal of Honour, which is not something commonly handed out to goalies barely out of their teens, one imagines.
Vasilevskiy’s sterling international record put him on the professional fast track, where he played 36 games in Ufa of the KHL before a 25-game stint in Syracuse, the Lightning’s AHL affiliate. He had good numbers with the Crunch — a 2.45 goals-against average and a .917 save percentage — and was called up to Tampa to back up Bishop in December. In 16 games with the Lightning, Vasilevskiy posted numbers that mirrored those of Bishop: the starter had a .916 save percentage and the backup had a save percentage of … .916.
This is perhaps why in their post-game comments on Saturday night, none of the Lightning sounded all that fussed about having the kid in the Tampa goal, even under extra- ordinary circumstances.
“When Bish had to leave, there wasn’t an ounce of stress on anybody on our bench, including myself,” coach Jon Cooper said. “I mean, the kid proved it when he went in. He was great.” (He made five saves in nine minutes. “Great” might be pushing it.)
“I just told him to have fun,” defenceman Anton Stralman said. “I have no idea what went through his head but he’s a calm kid.”
“We feel confident. I mean, you know, they’re both here for a reason,” said Jason Garrison, who scored the gamewinning goal. “We just got to make sure that we communicate with Vasy if that’s the case, support him as much as possible.”
The no-big-whoop attitude from his team belies just how unusual Vasilevskiy’s relief effort was. The nerds at the Elias Sports Bureau report that he was the first goaltender to win a game in the Stanley Cup final in relief since Pittsburgh’s Frank Pietrangelo made 15 saves in 40 minutes to beat the Minnesota North Stars in Game 5 in 1991. Elias also says that Vasilevskiy became the first goaltender to win his first career playoff game in relief in the Stanley Cup final since April 7, 1928, when Lester Patrick came in to backstop the New York Rangers to victory against the Montreal Maroons. Lester Patrick was also the Rangers’ coach, which is awesome. (Side note: it is possible Chicago coach Joel Quenneville has considered putting himself in for Corey Crawford at various points in these playoffs.)
Despite Cooper’s post-game accolades for Vasilevskiy, he remained cagey about Bishop’s status when asked about it on Sunday.
“Well, in honour of the 11-year anniversary of our organization’s first Stanley Cup,” Cooper said with a smile, “how would John Tortorella answer that question? I’ll just leave it at that.”
Unlike the ornery former Lightning coach, Cooper had the media laughing heartily at that reply. However, asked if he knew who his starter might be, but just wasn’t telling, he was just as opaque.
“Uh .... (very long pause) no. Which would tell you, if I don’t know, that Bish could be available.”
If the Lightning end up with Vasilevskiy in goal for Game 3 on Monday night, then they at least can take some comfort in the fact that he got that game experience on Saturday.
But Bishop, for all of his occasional adventures in the Tampa goal — 16 goals surrendered in three straight games in the Eastern Conference final against the Rangers — is also the guy who has managed shutouts in two Game 7s in these playoffs. Vasilevskiy was solid in Game 2, but he didn’t have any time to think about it. The United Center will be nuts on Monday. That place starts shaking before the national anthem is even over. If there’s one blessing, it’s that “Vasilevskiy” is a tough name to chant derisively. Still: He’s unproven at this level, and certainly on this stage.
Tortorella, who was with the Lightning when they won their only Stanley Cup in 2004, was asked on Sunday, in his role as an ESPN analyst, what he would think about starting a rookie in net in the final. “Scared,” he said. That sounds about right.
I have no idea what went through his head but he’s a calm kid