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Lightning Goaltender Named First Star of Week
Feb 23, 2025; Tampa, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy (88) watches the puck against the Seattle Kraken in the second period at Amalie Arena. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

Lightning Goaltender Named First Star of Week

Originally posted on Breakaway on SI  |  By Jon Alfano  |  Last updated Mar 3, 2025 1:34 PM ET

Riding an eight-game winning streak, the Tampa Bay Lightning look like they're back in championship form, and so does star goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy.

The Russian goalie has been a brick wall in net throughout this winning streak, but especially since returning from the 4 Nations break. In three games this week, Vasilevskiy has stopped 71 of 73 shots (a .973 save percentage) and boasts a goals against average of 0.67. He shut out the Calgary Flames on Thursday and only allowed only one goal each against two of the league's top scoring offenses, the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday and the Washington Capitals on Saturday.

For his efforts, Vasilevskiy was named the NHL's First Star of the Week on Monday. This is the second time this season that he has been named one of the three stars, as he was previously the Third Star of the Week ending on Nov. 18.

"Vasi," as he's known by fans, has been one of the top goaltenders of this era, winning the Vezina Trophy in 2019 and the Conn Smythe Trophy in 2021 when the Lightning won their second-straight Stanley Cup. However, he didn't play to his standard last season, posting a career-worst .900 save percentage and 2.90 goals against average after undergoing surgery before the season.

He's back with a vengence now, though, and putting up some otherworldly numbers yet again. If not for an otherworldly season by Winnipeg Jets star Connor Hellebuyck, he might've be in the running for another Vezina Trophy.

Still, Vasilevskiy back to being the backbone of a contending team, and that should be more than enough for him.

Dallas Stars forward Roope Hintz and Montreal Canadiens forward Nick Suzuki were named the second and third stars of the week, respectively.

This article first appeared on Breakaway on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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