Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy knows firsthand the challenges of facing the best players the NHL has to offer.
As a Russian hockey player, Vasilevskiy has kept especially close tabs on Alex Ovechkin, who will lead the Washington Capitals in Saturday’s 7 p.m. Eastern Conference game at AMALIE Arena.
The 39-year-old Ovechkin has built a career on stashing pucks behind NHL goalies, even those at the top of the game. Ovechkin is 40 goals away from passing Wayne Gretzky’s 894 career goals, the most by any player in the history of the league.
Talking about the player he called “The guy” and “The man”, Vasilevskiy joked that part of facing Ovechkin is luck and a little bit of hope.
“Just close your eyes and hope for the best,” Vasilevskiy said after Friday’s practice.
Ovechkin has 50 goals and 96 points in 81 career games against the Lightning, including 11 goals in 20 games against Vasilevskiy. The teams have played close in Vasilevskiy’s tenure, but Washington holds the slight advantage with a 9-10-1 record across 20 starts since 2015.
“He’s getting close to the record, and you know he will use every opportunity. I’ve helped him already a little bit, gave up a few goals in previous years,” a laughing Vasilevskiy said. “I’ll do my best to stop every shot of his, but when he has that kind of legendary shot and release it’s really hard to do. We’ll try to stay in good position and hope for the best.”
Vasilevskiy and Ovechkin occasionally talk and catch up when the duo—two of the top Russian players in the NHL alongside Tampa Bay forward Nikita Kucherov—face each other.
Ovechkin is not shy about trying to talk to Vasilevskiy during games, either. Vasilevskiy said this week that Ovechkin sometimes mixes in comments to the goalie midgame to mess with his focus, an area that has to be at its peak against an offensive talent such as Ovechkin.
“He’s a great person and a great leader, too. I was fortunate to have played with him on the national team,” the Bolt said of the Capital. “He’s the greatest goal scorer, for sure, of all time. So, we’re all pretty lucky to live in that generation. I am fortunate enough to share the ice with him and try to stop his shots.”
The Capitals are 5-1-0 to start this season, and Ovechkin has two goals and three assists for five points.
Vasilevskiy noted the Capitals’ quick start, calling them a “disciplined” team. That means the Lightning will have to stay out of the penalty box, too.
Whether they come against Ovechkin or other Washington players, Vasilevskiy is eager for the challenge of facing another team off to a quality start this season.
“We have to stay disciplined, execute our game plan and I have to make some saves, obviously, if we want to have the chance to win. I have to stop some shots, that’s important, and we’ll go from there.”
