How Does Andrei Vasilevskiy Compare to Other Elite Playoff Goalies? Image [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MTkwMTAzMDA2NTQ3NTUxNTEz/usatsi_18505797.jpg] Just when you think he can't get better, he finds a way. There's a reason Tampa Bay Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy is regarded as one of the most clutch goaltenders of his generation. Since 2020, Vasilevskiy has been incredible with 45 wins and 19 losses in 64 games. He has seven shutouts, a .931 save percentage and a 2.01 goals-against average. In case it wasn't clear, nobody comes remotely close in any of those categories. So, when the Lightning fell down 0-2 to kick off this round, the club needed Vasilevskiy to channel the play that made him dominant against Florida and so consistent over the past three playoff runs. Not only has he delivered with three wins in a row, but he has allowed just one goal against at 5-on-5 while posting an incredible 0.987 save percentage, 0.40 GAA and a 3.95 goals-saved-above-average, according to Natural Stat Trick [http://www.naturalstattrick.com/playerteams.php?stdoi=g]. That's solid for a full body of work in a playoff series, let alone three games. For comparison, Shesterkin stands with a .925 SP, 2.42 GAA and minus-0.34 GSAA. Shesterkin might be the favorite to win the Vezina Trophy, but when it really matters in this series, it's been all Vasilevskiy. Vasilevskiy had a rather so-so showing against the Toronto Maple Leafs in the opening round, allowing 22 goals over seven games with a .897 SP and 3.04 GAA. That's far from the usual results we've come to expect from Vasilevskiy, with his states being quite on par with Toronto's Jack Campbell. But what's most impressive for Vasilevskiy is his play since, with Vasilevskiy allowing just 11 goals over the next nine games, aided when he only allowed three goals against the Florida Panthers. We're truly watching greatness in the Tampa crease. Since the start of the 2020 playoffs, Vasilevskiy has six shutouts, a .974 save percentage and a 0.77 GAA. That includes a couple of Game 7s, most recently against the Leafs this year, and a shutout to close out the second-round series against Florida. Tampa has another elimination game on Saturday, and if they close it out, that'll give them 11 consecutive Stanley Cup playoff series wins. Vasilevskiy deserves so much of the credit for how he shows up in do-or-die games, and, for all accounts after losing two games in a row for the first time since 2019 just last week, Vasilevskiy has been perfect when the occasion asks for it. Game 5 was close, with Tampa winning 3-1 off the heels of an empty-netter. It could have truly gone either way, with the Rangers scoring first and forcing the Lightning to chase. From there, the Bolts did what they do best, and that's why they continue to find ways to come out on top, no matter the situation. The onus is back on Vasilevskiy to play yet another perfect game to close out the series and put the Lightning back into familiar territory. The Lightning have looked fantastic at home during the playoffs, and the Amalie Arena crowd knows how to get their team ready for a game of this magnitude. No team has won three or more Cup runs in a row since the Islanders won in 1980-83, but Tampa Bay has a chance to make that a reality for the first time in the salary cap era. It doesn't seem to matter if Vasilevskiy has an off night or not during a series -- he finds a way to up himself every time he hits the ice, and that's why Tampa is in the position they're in. The series isn't over yet, and don't expect anything less than an all-out performance from the Rangers in Game 6. Tampa just needs a bit more magic from No. 88 to close things out.
