Vasilevskiy Leads Vezina Race, Lightning Surge

0:00This is Corey with NHL News Today, powered by the Daily News Now. Subscribe for daily updates on your team. Andrej Basilewski of the Tampa Bay Lightning leads the race for the Vizina Trophy at the three-quarter mark of the regular season. This award goes to the top goalie as voted by NHL General Managers. An NHL.com panel picked a 31-year-old as their choice, giving him 71 points including 11 first-place votes. Ilya Serrockin of the New York Islanders came in second with 61 points and four first-place nods. Logan Thompson of the Washington Capitals placed third with 30 points, while John Gibson of the Detroit Redwings was fourth with 16. Basilewski tops the league and wins with 29 among goalies with at least 25 starts, and he ranks second in goals against average ad. 2.32 and tie for fourth and safe percentage at 0.913. His play has kept the lightning near the top of the Atlantic Division, with a record of 39 wins, 20 losses, and four overtime losses.

1:01Teammates credit him as the backbone of the team, saying he bales them out in tough spots and gives everyone confidence to play aggressively. From December 20th to February 25th, Basilewski posted a 17-win, zero loss, one overtime loss streak, over 18 gains with a die. 1.90 goals against average and 0.925, safe percentage. That run helped Tampa Bay surge from third in the division to an 8-point lead. He now has 360 career wins, moving into 24th place all time and second among Russia-born goalies. A vizina win this year would make him only the second from Russia to claim it twice, joining Sergei Babroski. The Daily News Now is presented by our sponsor. Your favorite podcast, music, or sleep sounds coming from your pillow. No earbuds, no distractions, just listen and relax.