Lightning's Andrei Vasilevskiy A Two-Time Vezina Trophy Winner

Saturday, June 06, 2026


 

The Tampa Bay Lightning faltered in the beginning of the Stanley Cup playoffs, losing the series to the Montreal Canadiens, four games to three.

While the Lightning didn't progress further than the first round, the team had Andrei Vasilevskiy to backstop them to their ninth playoff berth since 2018.. 

Vasilevskiy proved to be the foundation on which the Lightning maintained their dominance in the Atlantic. The Russian goaltender had to rely upon a lineup that at times looked like the Syracuse Crunch instead of the two-time Stanley Cup winners we've seen in the past. 

Vasilevskiy himself had to miss time this year, being placed on injured reserve in Dec. and despite this, head coach Jon Cooper would find a way to succeed without key players.

Darren Raddysh punched above his weight, playing in the team's top-pairing while Victor Hedman was out. 

However, Vasilevskiy didn't stop him from playing some of his best hockey behind an injured group. 

He played a total of 58 games this season, leading the Bolts to the playoffs with a record of 39-15-4, a 2.27 goals against average, and a .912 save percentage. 

 The scenario in which Vasilevskiy received the award was borderline hilarious as the team coordinated with local law enforcement to place the hidden trophy in his car. 

Leaving the Benchmark International Arena, he was startled when the LEOs pulled him aside to ask about what was in his car. With their K9 in tow, they'd enter the car and remove the bag in which the "contraband" was revealed to be the Vezina Trophy given to the NHL's best goaltender every year. 

With this season in the books, Vasilevskiy became the sixth goaltender in NHL history to record at least nine 30-win seasons. His active streak of nine consecutive 30-win seasons is the second-longest in league history, trailing only Martin Brodeur’s 12-season run from 1995-96 through 2007-08

Vasilevskiy, selected 19th overall in 2012, was tied for 1st for games with two or fewer goals allowed (35) and second in GAA with 2.27, finished the 2025-26 season third in games started (58), and played 3,340:45 time on ice (4th).

This is his second Vezina Trophy win, after his first at the conclusion of the 2018-19 season. That year, he finished with a 44-17-3 record, a GAA of 2.62, and a .920 SV%. 


Pablo Robles-Imagn Images



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