Tampa Bay’s success centers on rise of goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy
Lightning coach Jon Cooper said there are several reasons Tampa Bay has the best record in the NHL.
The primary factor has been the play of goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy.
“It all starts and finishes with Vasilevskiy,” Cooper said Monday after his team’s practice at T-Mobile Arena. “He’s taken the next step as the starter and really helped us out.”
Vasilevskiy leads the NHL in victories with 21 and is tied for second in goals-against average (2.11) and shutouts (three). His .934 save percentage ranks third in the league. The 23-year-old Russian is expected to start Tuesday for the Lightning (24-6-2, 50 points).
Tampa Bay is the top-scoring team in the NHL, and right wing Nikita Kucherov leads the league in scoring with 46 points (23 goals, 23 assists).
Steve Stamkos is second in the league in points with 43 after missing most of last season with a knee injury.
Sbisa on IR
The Knights placed defenseman Luca Sbisa (lower body) on the injured-reserve list Monday and recalled forward Tomas Hyka from Chicago of the American Hockey League.
Sbisa was hurt in the third period Dec. 12 when Carolina’s Elias Lindholm fell awkwardly into him behind the Knights’ net.
Hyka has 12 points (six goals, six assists) in 16 games with Chicago.
The move comes a day before the NHL’s holiday roster freeze goes into effect Tuesday at 11:59 p.m. and lasts until 12:01 a.m. on Dec. 28. During the weeklong freeze, no player on an active NHL roster or injured reserve can be traded, waived or loaned.
Teams are allowed to recall players from the minors in case of injury and also can sign free agents.
The roster freeze is part of the league’s collective bargaining agreement that ensures a player won’t be moved during the holiday season.
Carrier pranks Perron
When the Knights hit the ice for practice Monday at City National Arena, something didn’t look right with forward David Perron.
Turns out the player wearing the maroon jersey and No. 57 helmet was injured forward William Carrier, who decided to prank his teammate.
“Just trying to have a little fun,” said Carrier, who is close to returning to the lineup after sustaining an upper-body injury Nov. 25.
Goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury, the team’s resident prankster, swears he had nothing to do with it.
“It actually fooled me,” Fleury said. “I thought it was (Perron) when I first saw him. Then I got a closer look and said, ‘Nah.’ ”
500 for Engelland
Knights defenseman Deryk Engelland reached a personal milestone Sunday when he played in his 500th NHL game.
The 35-year-old is in his ninth NHL season after playing nearly 500 games in the minor leagues.
“I remember hoping to play in just one (NHL) game,” Engelland said Monday. “It’s a special moment for my family. Hopefully, there’s a lot more games to play.”
Firsthand look
Cooper said he attended the Knights’ 5-2 victory over Florida on Sunday “as a fan” and came away impressed with the atmosphere at T-Mobile Arena.
“First of all, without even looking at the product on the ice, the product outside and the venue, it was spectacular,” Cooper said. “I thought just right away, ‘What a coup for the NHL to open up shop here.’ … And then you look at the product on the ice, it’s pretty remarkable what’s going on. You’re looking for holes in that team, you just don’t see them.”
Contact David Schoen at dschoen@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5203. Follow @DavidSchoenLVRJ on Twitter.