Vasilevskiy Stands Tall as Lightning Win the Goalie Duel in Vegas
Vegas had the better chances in this one and still lost 6-2 at home. The gap between the two goalies decided it.
The Golden Knights put 34 shots on goal to Tampa Bay's 20 and fired more attempts overall, 62 to 57. By expected goals, a measure of how many goals a team's chances were worth, Vegas created about 4.05 to Tampa Bay's 2.50. On a normal night that's a Vegas win.
Instead, Andrei Vasilevskiy made 33 saves on 35 shots, including 13 of 15 from the most dangerous areas. At the other end, Carter Hart stopped 14 of 20. By goals saved above expected, how many more goals a goalie stopped than an average one would on the same shots, Vasilevskiy came in at +2.05.
Mitch Marner led Vegas with five shots and couldn't beat him. Trevor Connelly also hit a post. Brayden Point rang one off the iron too.
Tampa Bay didn't need many shots. Nikita Kucherov had three points, and Victor Hedman and John Carlson each scored from the back end. The Lightning went 1-for-3 on the power play while Vegas went 0-for-4. Most nights, Vegas wins with chances like these. Tonight the bounces and the goaltending went Tampa Bay's way.
