The goalie who broke the rules of playoff history
In short: Andrei Vasilevskiy didn't just win championships; he redefined what a goaltender could achieve in the postseason. From becoming the first to earn his first playoff win in relief during a Final to setting records that may never be broken, his career is a masterclass in high-pressure endurance.
Vasilevskiy's path to stardom was marked by unique milestones. In 2015, he became the first NHL goaltender to wear uniform number 88 and made history during the Cup Final against the Chicago Blackhawks. During the third period of game two, he took over for primary netminder Ben Bishop; this made him the initial goaltender since 1928 to secure a playoff Final victory from the bench—a milestone last achieved by Lester Patrick.
His dominance reached a peak between 2020 and 2021. In 2020, he backstopped the Tampa Bay Lightning to their first Stanley Cup in decades, setting an NHL record of 18 playoff wins. This specific record is notable because it was achieved during an expanded 24-team postseason field necessitated by the COVID-19 pandemic, making it impossible to break under standard four-round formats. That same year, he set a franchise record for postseason minutes played at 1,708:12.
The following season, Vasilevskiy solidified his legacy by winning the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP, becoming the first goaltender to do so since Jonathan Quick in 2012. He achieved this by recording shutouts in every series-clinching game of the 2021 playoffs. By the end of that run, he had extended a streak of consecutive series-clinching shutouts to five, tying an NHL record shared with Chris Osgood and Clint Benedict.
Beyond individual trophies like his two Vezina Trophies (2019 and 2026), Vasilevskiy is defined by statistical outliers. In the 2022 playoffs, he posted a staggering .981 save percentage against the Florida Panthers, allowing only three goals on 154 shots during a four-game sweep. These performances have cemented his status as one of the most statistically dominant 'Big Cats' in hockey history.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: Andrei Vasilevskiy
- Also: Wikidata — Andrei Vasilevskiy · CC0
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