Andrei Vasilevskiy joined an elite club on Thursday night.
Vasilevskiy earned his 300th career NHL win in Thursday's 4-1 triumph over the Winnipeg Jets, becoming only the 40th netminder in NHL history to reach 300 wins.
Vasilevskiy supplanted Hockey Hall of Fame member Jacques Plante as the fastest goalie in NHL history to reach the 300-win mark—Vasilevskiy earned win No. 300 in his 490th career game, overtaking Plante’s previous mark of 300 wins in 521 games.
The 30-year-old Lightning mainstay has been a steadying presence for Tampa Bay since the team drafted him with the 19th overall pick in the 2012 NHL Draft. The Russian, who fans lovingly call ‘Big Cat’, boasts a career record of 300-148-31.
Jonas Johansson, the current Lightning backup goalie behind Vasilevskiy, called his partner one of the all-time greats at the position.
“He’s been one of the best in the game for such a long time,” Johansson said of Vasilevskiy. “So, it’s great being able to work with him, and it’s making me a better goalie, too.”
Since becoming the designated starting goalie for the Lightning ahead of the 2016-17 season, Vasilevskiy has posted eight consecutive 20-win campaigns. He has at least 30 wins in each of the past seven seasons.
He won a career-best 44 games in the 2017-18 campaign. Vasilevskiy is 7-5-1 to start this season.
Tampa Bay Lightning captain Victor Hedman has played alongside Vasilevskiy for the goalie’s entire NHL career. The defenseman said Vasilevskiy is the best goalie in the league.
“Obviously the best goalkeeper in the world and (he) gives us a chance every single night," Hedman said. "For him to get that close that fast is remarkable, so we’re super happy for him.”
Vasilevskiy won his first NHL start on Dec. 16, 2014, stopping 23 shots in a 3-1 win over the Philadelphia Flyers. The future Hall of Famer was instrumental in the Bolts’ Stanley Cup championships in 2020 and 2021, winning the 2021 Conn Smythe Trophy for most valuable player in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
He was named the 2019 winner of the Vezina Trophy, awarded to the best goalie in the NHL. Vasilevskiy was a finalist for the award in 2018, 2020 and 2021.
Part of that success is related to Vasilevskiy's relentless work ethic, according to Hedman.
“His work ethic and his dedication to become the best," Hedman said of what stands out about Vasilevskiy. "Very hard on himself, always wants to be the best player on the ice and that’s what sticks out.
"He works his tail off every single day. It’s not a fluke he’s the best in the world.”
Vasilevskiy is in his 11th season with Tampa Bay. He holds the franchise records for wins, games played (490), longest winning streak (11 games) and shutouts (35).
He has 13,474 saves in his career, a number that sits firmly atop the Lightning record books and stood as the 68th-most in NHL history prior to Thursday’s game.
