Vasilevskiy is either exhausted or the Leafs have solved the the puzzle; either way, it's not good for Tampa
Andrei Vasilevskiy is a big reason why the Tampa Bay Lightning are back-to-back Stanley Cup Champions, I think we can get that out of the way right now. However, there is an argument to be made that the number of games that Vasilevskiy has played over the past few seasons is finally catching up to him.
Make no mistake, the 27-year-old netminder is one of the very best, if not the best, goaltenders in the game. His poise, athleticism, attention to detail and positioning are second to none. As a Vezina Trophy winner, Conn Smythe winner and two-time Stanley Cup winner, you'd expect nothing less. That said, as much as we'd like to consider him a machine, Vasilevskiy is a man and his body is susceptible to the odd breakdown due to fatigue. That's what I believe we are seeing this year.
Vasilevskiy has posted a .927 SV% or better in each of his last two playoff runs with the Bolts. He has posted a 1.90 GAA in each of those runs, but this year, an offensive powerhouse Leafs team has shown that even a Conn Smythe, Vezina Trophy winner can be exposed under the right set of circumstances.
Through 3 games this postseason, Vasilevskiy has looked pedestrian, posting a 3.72 GAA and .890 SV% and a 1-2-0 record. He has played 208 games so far over a 3-year span, which equates to near 70 games per season. When you consider that the last two seasons were COVID-shortened, you begin to realize just how much Vasilevskiy's body has had to endure over that span.
It doesn't help matters for the Lightning that Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner have carried over their success from the regular season, combining for 11 points through 3 games thus far. Marner is currently locked in a 3-way tie for the league lead in playoff points alongside Connor McDavid and Evander Kane with 6 points. Matthews is just behind the pack with 5 points of his own.
That said, Vasilevskiy has not lost two games in a row in the playoffs over the last two years, owning a 15-0 record when coming off of a loss in the postseason. With the Bolts playing Game 4 at home, they'll have plenty of energy to feed off of and, as Vasilevskiy has shown, he is very capable of shutting the door and stealing a game. Game 4 is a pivotal one for both teams. It's the difference between best two out of three, or having to win 3 straight to avoid a first round elimination. These are the games that Vasilevskiy gets out of bed for. The Leafs are going to have to bring it in a big way on Sunday - and if they can win back-to-back games in enemy territory, it will give them 3 tries to close out the series, something they couldn't do against the Habs in 2020-21.
| POLL | ||
7 MAI | 495 ANSWERS Vasilevskiy is either exhausted or the Leafs have solved the the puzzle; either way, it's not good for Tampa If the Leafs win the series, how many games will they do it in? | ||
| 5 in Toronto | 194 | 39.2 % |
| 6 in Tampa | 187 | 37.8 % |
| 7 in Toronto | 114 | 23 % |
| List of polls | ||
