The Tampa Bay Lightning are heading BACK to the Stanley Cup Final as they try to successfully defend last season’s title. In order to get there, they needed a big victory on Friday to take the 7th and deciding game against the New York Islanders.
They got what they needed, particularly from goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy. The Bolts netminder stopped all 18 shots he faced to secure a tense 1-0 win in the clinching game.
Dating back to last year’s playoffs, the Tampa Bay Lightning have now won 7 consecutive playoff series since being humiliated by the Columbus Blue Jackets by way of a 4-0 sweep in 2019. Not a bad way to respond to the adversity, but that’s not even the most impressive part.
The Bolts have clinched four straight series without allowing a goal in the clinching game, an NHL record.
To be clear, this record only stands for the actual clinching game, and not every game they could have clinched. Otherwise, Game 6 against the Isles is the end of that streak.
The streak, of course, goes back to last year’s Stanley Cup Final, when Vasilevskiy and the Bolts shut out Dallas 2-0 to win the Stanley Cup. Vasilevskiy made 22 stops in that one.
Fast forward to this year, and the Bolts were back to their clinching shutout ways. The Lightning shut out Florida in the 1st Round, with Vasilevskiy making 29 saves in Game 6 to put away the Panthers 4-0 and win the series.
In the 2nd Round, Carolina couldn’t solve Vasilevskiy on 29 shots in Game 5. On Friday, history was written yet again.
The Habs are hoping to reverse history as they prepare for the Bolts, and they may have the strongest crease competition yet. While Carey Price has only recorded one shutout this postseason, he’s been a stud in net with a 2.02 GAA and a 0.934 Save Percentage.
(H/T Joe Smith)
