Andrei Vasilevskiy of Tyumen, Russia recorded his 26th National Hockey League shutout on Thursday. He made 20 saves as the Tampa Bay Ligntning blanked the Dallas Stars 3-0 at Amalie Arena in Tampa, FL.
Vasilevskiy made six saves in the first period, 12 saves in the second period, and only two saves in the third period. Stars defenseman Esa Lindell led Dallas with three shots on goal.
Offensively for the Lightning, Tampa Bay got goals from Ondrej Palat of Frydek-Mistek, Czech Republic, Blake Coleman of Plano, TX, and Brayden Point of Calgary, Alberta. Coleman’s goal in the third period came on a penalty shot while the Lightning were shorthanded with Anthony Cirelli of Etobicoke, Ontario in the penalty box for high-sticking. For Coleman, it was his first NHL penalty shot attempt, and he made the most of it with a goal.
Vasilveskiy meanwhile was the only Lightning player to pick up an assist in the game. He set up Point for the empty-net goal with one minute and 21 seconds left in the game. For Vasilevskiy, it was his fourth assist of the season, and 15th of his career.
The Stars meanwhile were not the only team in the game to only have two shots on goal in a single period. The Lightning only had two shots on goal in the second period.
With the shutout, Vasilevskiy now has five shutouts on the season. Fellow Russian goaltender Semyon Varlamov of the New York Islanders leads the NHL with six shutouts. Varlamov is from Samara, Russia.
Vasilevskiy meanwhile leads the NHL with 30 wins and 2344 minutes. He also has a goals against average of 2.10, and a save percentage of .929.
The Lightning are one of three teams in the Central Division that have already clinched a playoff spot. They are in third place with a record of 34 wins, 14 regulation losses, and two losses in extra time for 70 points. The only teams in the Central with more points than the Lightning are the Carolina Hurricanes (73 points), and Florida Panthers (71 points).
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