Amongst all of the hustle and bustle that comes with the trade deadline approaching, actual hockey was played last night. The Tampa Bay Lightning kicked off the age of Andrei Vasilevskiy with a surprising blowout win over the Ottawa Senators.
The Lightning have won two of their three games against the Senators this season and are 8-1-2 over their last 11 home games against Ottawa.
Magic Between the Pipes
Losing Ben Bishop to the Los Angeles Kings provoked bittersweet feeling across the Lightning organization, all the way from management to the fans. Although we have seen some flashes of greatness with Vasilevskiy, there have all been moments of concern and there is no telling of what the Vasilevskiy era will bring.
Well, if the last night's performance was any indication, Tampa Bay is in for quite a treat. The 22-year-old netminder put on an absolute show for the Bolts, stopping 39 of the 40 shots he faced. Luckily, he was able to receive a great deal of offensive support so his effort did not go unrewarded.
Hats Off to Kucherov
Nikita Kucherov provided plenty of offense for the Bolts, netting three power play goals for the Lightning's first hat-trick of the season. He now has five multi-goal games on the season and 11 in his career. Kucherov now has 26 goals on the year, matching his career high.
A Pleasent Surprise
I have to be honest, I did not expect the Lightning to come away victorious last night with all of the action taking place off the ice. In less than 24 hours, the Bolts lost a beloved goaltender and one of their biggest leaders. It would have been completely normal if all of that craziness trickled down to the ice.
However, the Lightning put on a show for their home crowd, giving the Senators a 5-1 beating. The playoffs are still a pipedream at this point but at least the Bolts showed they are going to still give it their all until the final game.
On Tap
The Lightning conclude their four-game homestand on deadline day, Wednesday, against the Carolina Hurricanes.