In the match between Tampa Bay and the New York Islanders, a local but important question was decided: which of the Russian goalkeepers is the best in the league? The Lightning helped Andrey Vasilevsky to beat Ilya Sorokin in this duel, sending the Islanders’ keeper to the bench.

And Vasilevsky’s team won a crushing victory and officially received an opponent in the first round of the playoffs. However, the joy of the fans was replaced by feelings for the state of Mikhail Sergachev, who unsuccessfully entered the fight.

Sergachev injured his knee and, limping, left the ice ahead of schedule.

Vasilevsky vs. Sorokin

For Russian fans, the match between Tampa and the Islanders is primarily a duel between two Russian goalkeepers, Vasilevsky and Sorokin. Interestingly, both keepers are now in excellent shape, although they started the season in different ways. Sorokin was the leader of the Islanders throughout the entire regular season, and it was thanks to him that the team was able to gain a foothold in the playoff zone. The Russian himself claims the prize for the best goalkeeper of the Vezina Trophy, which can only be second to Linus Ulmark from Boston.

Sorokin misses an average of 2.41 goals per game, and his percentage of saved shots is 92.31 – in all respects, the Russian is one of the best in the league. Also, the keeper spent five matches at zero and is the leader in this indicator. Vasilevsky, on the other hand, was slipping along with Tampa at the beginning of the season and could not show his level for a long time. However, closer to the playoffs, the Lightning keeper finally gained momentum and began to demonstrate his usual confident game.

Ilya Sorokin and Andrey Vasilevsky / Photo: © REUTERS / Dennis Schneidler-USA TODAY Sports, REUTERS / Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports

In addition to the duel between Russia’s leading goaltenders, this game was an opportunity for the Islanders to prove to all the experts who did not see them in the playoffs that the team is capable of competing with the best clubs in the East.

Unsuccessful power

For Tampa, winning a home game meant no less. The Lightning are only four points away from future first-round rivals Toronto. John Cooper’s team will try to overtake the Leafs until the end of the regular season in order to gain home court advantage. And already at the end of the first period, the hosts took a step towards the fulfillment of this task.

Mikhail Sergachev received a pass on the blue line and immediately sent the puck into the goal with one touch. The throw itself was easy for such a keeper as Sorokin, but the Tampa players correctly positioned themselves on the “nickle” and closed the review to the Russian. The guests, although they lost in the first period with a minimum score, still spent this segment on an equal footing. After the break, it seemed that the “islanders” will continue to impose a fight and be able to cling to points.

However, in the second 20-minute period, Tampa “moved” the opponent, removing all questions about the winner not only in the match, but also in the duel of two Russian keepers. So, at the beginning of the period, Jeannot Tanner increased the advantage of the hosts, again upsetting Sorokin. And then Nikita Kucherov also said his word, who, after the transfer from Sergachev, fell out one on one with his compatriot.

Kucherov did not demonstrate the miracles of stick possession, but simply threw hard from the brushes and went to celebrate the goal. For the forward, this puck was already the 29th of the season. He also crossed the line of 105 points. Sergachev, thanks to an assist, entered the lightning textbooks, becoming the second defender in the history of the club, who managed to reach the mark of 50 assists for the regular season.

Two minutes after Kucherov’s accurate shot, his teammate Steven Stamkos also scored, putting an end to the confrontation between Vasilevsky and Sorokin: after the fourth goal, the Russian keeper of the “Islanders” went to the bench, and Semyon Varlamov took his place. Tampa decided not to let Varlamov get involved in the game and immediately unleashed a flurry of shots from all positions on him. And Corey Perry even decided to get on his nerves: Varlamov pinned the puck, but was hit on the hands by the Canadian.

Alexander Romanov immediately stood up for his compatriot, who threw Perry on the ice. However, the Canadian fell into the hands of Romanov with all his weight, after which the Russian left for the locker room. Fortunately, there were no serious injuries, and already in the third period, Alexander was again on the ice.

But another Russian defender was less fortunate. In one of the game episodes, Sergachev tried to close the zone by engaging in single combat with an opponent, but unsuccessfully adjusted to the player, and the Islanders forward drove into his knee at speed. Sergachev’s leg bent in an unnatural position, and he limped off the pitch. It is not yet clear how serious the injury was, but the Russian could not continue the game.

Photo: © REUTERS / Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

“Tampa” in the third period did not particularly accelerate, calmly finishing the match. But even having dropped the momentum, the “lightning” still outplayed the opponent. In the middle of the final 20 minutes, the hosts upset Varlamov in the majority. Brandon Point from the transfer of Kucherov made the score devastating, throwing the fifth puck into the goal of the guests. The “Islanders” tried to score at least a goal of prestige, but Vasilevsky planned to chalk up another “rusk” to his account. As a result, the Lightning keeper saved all 38 shots of the opponent and scored the second clean sheet in the last three games.

After Tampa’s confident victory over the Islanders, Cooper’s team officially advanced to the playoffs, where they will meet Toronto in the first round. The latest games show that the Lightning are fully prepared for this confrontation. However, without one of the leading defenders of the Sergachev club, it will be very difficult to contain the Leafs attack. Therefore, Tampa fans are waiting for positive news about Mikhail’s condition.

NHL. Regular season

Tampa Bay Lightning (Tampa) – New York Islanders (New York) – 5:0 (1:0, 3:0, 1:0)

Goals: Sergachev, 17:53. Jeannot, 23:42. Kucherov, 29:57. Stamkos, 31:45. Point, 53:26 (bol.).