Sabres chase Vasilevskiy to end historic 17-game run
Photo credit: Morgan Tencza-Imagn Images
Andrei Vasilevskiy watched his historic run end tonight. Head coach Jon Cooper had no choice but to pull his star netminder against the Buffalo Sabres.
The numbers are absolutely jarring. Five goals allowed on just 14 shots. Buffalo chased the former Vezina winner right out of the crease before the game was even half over.
It was a shocking conclusion to one of the most dominant stretches in recent NHL history. Coming into Saturday night, the Russian veteran was operating on a completely different level from his peers.
He rode a massive 17-0-1 personal run that started all the way back on December 20. Opposing forwards had spent the last eight weeks leaving the ice frustrated and held scoreless.
Nobody expected the Sabres to be the team to shatter that armor in such spectacular fashion. They marched right into the zone and took total control.
Hockey remains a fiercely unpredictable sport. Even the greatest goaltenders on earth have nights where the puck finds every single hole.
Buffalo capitalized on massive defensive breakdowns. They found the back of the net with crisp passing and highly efficient offensive output.
A Rare Off Night
Every controlled entry seemed to result in a high-danger scoring chance. The blue line simply failed to protect their franchise goaltender.
The Tampa Bay locker room was surely stunned as the hook officially came out. Pulling a goalie of that caliber sends a swift message.
The defensive structure simply collapsed in front of him. Unacceptable. This unceremonious exit ends a magical two-month stretch where he looked utterly invincible.
Over his NHL career, Vasilevskiy has rarely experienced such a rapid hook during a major hot streak. He usually steals games entirely on his own.
You have to wonder how this impacts their momentum. Every homestand and road trip from here on out carries massive playoff implications.
The power play and penalty kill must step up to compensate for any sudden dip in goaltending confidence. Tampa needs to tighten up quickly.
Will Vasilevskiy bounce back immediately in his next scheduled start? History strongly suggests he will brush this off, strap the pads back on, and return to form.
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| POLL | ||
FEVRIER 28|80 ANSWERS Sabres chase Vasilevskiy to end historic 17-game run Will Andrei Vasilevskiy bounce back with a shutout in his next start? | ||
| Yes | 35 | 43.8 % |
| No | 45 | 56.3 % |
| List of polls | ||