Andrei Vasilevskiy was back in action Thursday after missing a game with an illness. Now, backup Jonas Johansson is sidelined.
The Lightning finally had some breathing room. That proved to be important when the Kings received a power play at 17:03. They pulled Rittich for an extra attacker. The Lightning held Los Angeles to only one SOG during the six-on-four (a long-range attempt from Drew Doughty) before Cirelli tracked a Hagel clear and tallied an empty-netter at 18:43.
There have been many nights recently when the Lightning looked at the scoreboard and wondered what they had to do to score more goals. Despite a number of chances, Tampa Bay found itself stymied by a maddening mixture of hot goaltenders,
The shutout was Vasilevskiy's third of the season and 37th in the NHL. He had missed Tuesday's game with an illness, but was no worse for the wear against the Kings. Vasilevskiy sits in the NHL's top-10 in GAA (2.
Vasilevskiy (illness) will start at home versus the Kings on Thursday, Gabby Shirley of FanDuel Sports Network Florida & Sun reports. Vasilevskiy was unable to suit up Tuesday, but it appears he's healthy enough to take Thursday's start.
According to Benjamin Pierce of the Tampa Bay Lightning, goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy (illness) is viewed as a game-time decision on Thursday for their contest against the Los Angeles Kings. No. 2 goaltender Jonas Johansson (lower body) is also in questionable status for this game.
When Tampa Bay Lightning goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy trudges down the tunnel at Amalie Arena to begin pregame warmups, his mask appears white with only faint gray and pale blue markings. When the two-time Stanley Cup champion netminder hits the ice, that’s when the magic begins.
Brandon Hagel had two goals and an assist, and Andrei Vasilevskiy made 28 saves for the Tampa Bay Lightning in a 3-0 win against the Los Angeles Kings at Amalie Arena on Thursday. The shutout was Vasilevskiy’s third of the season and 37th in the NHL.
The Tampa Bay Lightning took a 3-0 win over the Los Angeles Kings on Thursday at AMALIE Arena. Brandon Hagel gave the Lightning a 1-0 advantage 4:45 into the game with a slick move and bury on the rush, and he finished the night with three points.
Marc-Andre Fleury made 19 saves for his first shutout of the season in likely his final game in Montreal, helping the Minnesota Wild beat the Canadiens 4-0 on Thursday night. The 40-year-old Fleury, from Sorel-Tracy about 50 miles northeast of Montreal,
Ilya Sorokin made 23 saves and Marc Gatcomb scored his first NHL goal as the surging New York Islanders skated to a 3-0 road victory over the Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday.