The Backcheck: Vasilevskiy posts shutout in Bolts' win over Washington

Sunday morning alarm clocks might have been easier to accept for members of the Tampa Bay Lightning this week.

The Lightning are fresh off a 3-0 victory over the Washington Capitals at AMALIE Arena in downtown Tampa on Saturday, the first shutout victory of the season for the Bolts. Tampa Bay improved to 5-3-0 this season with the win.

"When you get up in the morning and there's a zero for the visitors' score, it's big for the guys,” Lightning coach Jon Cooper said after Saturday’s win. “Just confidence as a group for us because we kind of started out the year fairly well, and then we went on that road trip and give up 15 goals in three games. It's hard to win hockey games when you're doing that, so to get us back to where we are now, that's what we want to see.”

Both teams were quick to get involved physically but played to a 0-0 stalemate through one period of hockey.

Lightning forward Mitchell Chaffee got the scoring started.

Chaffee got the home team on the scoreboard 5:27 into the second period, deflecting a shot by linemate Nick Paul from the left circle while eclipsing the view of Washington goalie Charlie Lindgren.

The goal extended Paul’s point streak to five games, and Mikey Eyssimont earned his first point of the season with the secondary assist.

"What you do is a skate screen, so you try and skate by them while also trying to get a tip on it,” Chaffee said of the play. “And it was a great shot. You’ve got to get in front of the goalie, and it hit my stick and luckily it went in.”

Washington pressed for much of the second period as the visitors outshot the Lightning 17-8 in the middle frame. Despite the push by the Capitals, a pair of quick scores to open the third period kept the home team in front.

Brayden Point extended the lead to 2-0 at 2:26 of the third period, firing the puck through Lindgren in front of Washington’s net after a pass from Nikita Kucherov from the right corner. Forty-four seconds later, a young Bolt was celebrating a major NHL milestone.

Rookie Conor Geekie scored his first NHL goal at 3:10 of the third, wiring a one-timer just over the leg pad of Lindgren from the left circle.

"In the second period tonight I thought we bent a bit down the stretch that second period, but we didn't break,” Cooper said. “So now we get to go in (up) 1-0. We don't give up the lead, then come out, score those two quick ones early, kind of pop their balloon.”

Geekie now has two points through eight games for Tampa Bay in his rookie season and is skating on the second line alongside Anthony Cirellii and Brandon Hagel in recent games. Cirelli fed Geekie for the shot, and Hagel got the secondary assist.

"You can be a little star struck,” Geekie said of his first goal. “I can't commend the guys enough for the play, but again, it's a moment that I wouldn't want in any other place.”

The 20-year-old forward gave props to those around him after the goal, particularly his teammates and family. His favorite congratulations came when a staff member told him the chase was on to catch his older brother Morgan Geekie in NHL goals. Morgan plays for the Boston Bruins.

“I think Mully the trainer (Tom Mulligan) said I’m close to my brother, and I said, ‘I got one more this year.’ That was probably my favorite one. But again, I couldn’t have done it all without my family, and especially my brother, Morgan.”

Andrei Vasilevskiy was up to every challenge he faced on Saturday, securing his first shutout and fourth win of the season with a 32-save night.

The goalie, who is now three wins away from 300 in his career, said the win was a team effort.

“I thought it was a pretty good goal for me personally,” Vasilevskiy said of lowering the goals allowed from recent games. “So you know, a couple shots from the blue line, guys did a great job in front boxing out.”

The Lightning host the Nashville Predators (3-5-0 this season) on Monday at 7:30 p.m.

Benjamin’s Three Stars:

1. Andrei Vasilevskiy (32-save shutout)

2. Conor Geekie (First NHL goal)

3. Anthony Cirelli (Assist)