They call him ‘The Big Cat’ for a reason.
On Monday, though, even ‘Big’ might have been too small of a word to describe the monster role that Tampa Bay Lightning goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy played to get his team back in the win column.
Vasilevskiy made 28 saves—including 12 in the opening 20 minutes and five while shorthanded—to keep his team afloat until the Lightning found two power-play goals for a 2-0 win at Benchmark International Arena against the Utah Mammoth.
“He's been the backbone for this team this year,” defenseman Darren Raddysh said of his goalie postgame. “He does it all, and I think he's the best goalie in the world. Having him back there gives us a lot of confidence to be aggressive and try to play the way we want to play.”
Monday’s win improves the Lightning to 33-14-4 this season, including 15-1-1 over their last 17 games.
When Tampa Bay broke through Monday’s scoreless game, they did so in a familiar manner.
After Utah killed a penalty with just under six minutes left in the second period, the visiting Mammoth were called for another infraction with 3:39 remaining in the period. The Lightning took advantage of that second power-play chance.
Forward Jake Guentzel gathered the puck in the right corner and dished to leading scorer Nikita Kucherov at the point. Kucherov took two strides before passing to right-shooting defenseman Darren Raddysh atop the left faceoff circle, whose one-timer evaded Utah goalie Karel Vejmelka’s glove for the 1-0 tally with 2:22 left in the middle frame.
“Having the big righty shot up there has given it a whole new dynamic,” coach Jon Cooper said of the power play. “Moving Kuch, even if it's from the goal line to well above top of the circles, it's tough to defend and you get some of these fronting penalty kills. And now you’ve got decisions to make. But especially when you have multiple shooting threats, it can make it dangerous. Subtle movements make a big difference.”
It was Raddysh’s 14th goal of the season. His eight power-play goals this season lead the Lightning and are the most of any NHL defenseman.
With his team ahead 1-0 in the third period, Vasilevskiy stayed central—the home crowd treated their goalie to chants of ‘Vasy’ midway through the period after he denied Utah captain Clayton Keller’s backhand bid on a breakaway that would have tied the game.
"I tried to just react. I didn't think much,” Vasilevskiy said of the save. “That's why I love those kind of games with a lot of shots. There's no time to think, and I didn't think about anything but stop the puck."
The penalty kill did their part, too, erasing all three Utah power plays and keeping the Mammoth to five total power-play shots on goal, including none when the visitors got a power-play chance down 1-0 with 6:44 remaining in the game.
Tampa Bay’s penalty kill remains second in the NHL after Monday’s game, and it helped them bank another two points to open the week.
“It was huge,” Vasilevskiy said of the penalty kill. “It's been huge the whole season, and tonight we showed that again, especially against a good PP. Our guys are warriors. Lots of blocks, lots of good plays.”
The Lightning power play added an insurance marker in the game’s final minute. Anthony Cirelli’s shot from the left hashmark squeezed through Vejmelka’s left arm with 45.7 seconds remaining.
Kucherov earned his second assist of the night on the play and led all players in scoring while also reaching the 80-point mark.
The win was a bounceback from the team’s 8-5 loss on Saturday on the road. JJ Moser said Monday was a much sharper effort from the Lightning.
“Just focusing on defense, and part of that is also breaking out. I think we played more in the offensive zone today than last game, and it was very important for our group to show a reaction,” Moser said. “Especially when you get scored on eight times, you want to make sure that it's a one-off and show a good reaction the next game. And I think we did that today.”
Tampa Bay will now turn its attention to the Winnipeg Jets, who visit Benchmark International Arena on Thursday.
It marks the first game between the teams this season and the final game before the Lightning host the 2026 Navy Federal Credit Union Stadium Series game at Raymond James Stadium on Sunday.
Benjamin’s Three Stars:
- Andrei Vasilevskiy, TBL (28-save shutout))
- Darren Raddysh, TBL (Goal)
- Nikita Kucherov, TBL (2 assists)
