Andrei Vasilevskiy

Andrei Vasilevskiy's first playoff series turned out to be a lesson he has carried ever since. "I feel like the main thing is don't think too much," the Tampa Bay Lightning goaltender told InGoal Magazine. "There's already too much pressure, and if you add even more on yourself, it's not going to help you. I know stakes are higher, but at the same time if you change too much, it's going to hurt you. You played so many games during the regular season. You know what works and what doesn't. So, relax, breathe, and just play." ^[1]

Born in Tyumen, Russia on July 25, 1994, Vasilevskiy was selected by the Tampa Bay Lightning in the first round, 19th overall, at the 2012 NHL Entry Draft. He has spent his entire NHL career in Tampa Bay, making his first appearances at the NHL level in the 2014-15 season, when he went 7-5 with a 2.36 goals-against average and a .918 save percentage across 16 games. The following season he appeared in 24 games, posting an 11-10 record and a 2.76 GAA.

Vasilevskiy took over as the Lightning's primary starter in 2016-17, going 23-17 in 50 games with a 2.61 GAA and .917 save percentage. The 2017-18 season marked a significant expansion of that workload: he started 65 games, went 44-17, posted a 2.62 GAA, a .920 save percentage, and recorded 8 shutouts. The following season, 2018-19, he went 39-10 in 53 games with a 2.40 GAA, a .925 save percentage, and 6 shutouts.

The 2020-21 season, compressed to 42 games, saw him go 31-10 with a 2.21 GAA, .925 save percentage, and 5 shutouts. Tampa Bay won back-to-back Stanley Cup championships in 2020 and 2021; in the 2021 playoffs, Vasilevskiy was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy as the most valuable player in the postseason.

He reached 44 wins in 2017-18, and led the league in wins for five consecutive seasons from 2017-18 through 2021-22. In 2021-22, he went 39-18 in 63 games with a 2.49 GAA and .916 save percentage. The 2022-23 season produced a 34-22 record over 60 games. In 2023-24, he appeared in 52 games and went 30-20 with a 2.90 GAA and .900 save percentage. He rebounded in 2024-25, going 38-20 in 63 games with a 2.18 GAA, .921 save percentage, and 6 shutouts.

Through the 2025-26 season, Vasilevskiy has appeared in 598 NHL regular-season games, going 370-178 with 39 overtime losses, a career 2.50 GAA, a .917 save percentage, and 42 shutouts — all with the Tampa Bay Lightning. In the current 2025-26 season, he is 39-15 with a 2.31 GAA and .912 save percentage across 58 games.

InGoal Magazine has covered Andrei Vasilevskiy in one InGoal article. In a 2026 piece on how goalies manage the heightened intensity of the playoffs, Kevin Woodley drew on Vasilevskiy's perspective as a two-time Cup winner — and what he said about staying mentally grounded when the stakes rise is worth reading in full ^[1].