Fansided

Lightning strikes the Capitals in Game 3: 3 takeaways

By Jeremy Lambert

WASHINGTON, DC - MAY 15: Andrei Vasilevskiy #88 of the Tampa Bay Lightning celebrates with his teammates after defeating the Washington Capitals in Game Three of the Eastern Conference Finals during the 2018 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at Capital One Arena on May 15, 2018 in Washington, DC. The Tampa Bay Lightning defeated the Washington Capitals with a score of 4 to 2. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - MAY 15: Andrei Vasilevskiy #88 of the Tampa Bay Lightning celebrates with his teammates after defeating the Washington Capitals in Game Three of the Eastern Conference Finals during the 2018 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at Capital One Arena on May 15, 2018 in Washington, DC. The Tampa Bay Lightning defeated the Washington Capitals with a score of 4 to 2. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images) /
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WASHINGTON, DC – MAY 15: Lars Eller #20 of the Washington Capitals and Dan Girardi #5 of the Tampa Bay Lightning battle for the puck in front of Andrei Vasilevskiy #88 in the first period in Game Three of the Eastern Conference Final during the 2018 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at Capital One Arena on May 15, 2018 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/NHLI via Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC – MAY 15: Lars Eller #20 of the Washington Capitals and Dan Girardi #5 of the Tampa Bay Lightning battle for the puck in front of Andrei Vasilevskiy #88 in the first period in Game Three of the Eastern Conference Final during the 2018 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at Capital One Arena on May 15, 2018 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/NHLI via Getty Images) /

1. Andrei Vasilevskiy finally gets some help

Players will rarely blame their goalie for a bad game. The goalie can give up five goals on eight shots with three of them being soft. And the players in front of him will always say, “We should have been better.” It’s all part of keeping your goaltender mentally strong for the next game.

The Lightning never blamed Vasilevskiy for what happened in the first two games. The players knew they weren’t good enough 5-on-5 and didn’t do enough to help him out in front of the net. It’s why there was never a goalie controversy in Tampa.

Everyone in front of him was much better in Game 3. The Capitals put 38 shots on goal, but not all shots are created equal. Vasilevskiy had to be great in certain moments, but for the first time in the series, the Tampa Bay defenders were able to equal him. They cleared bodies away from the crease and allowed their netminder to see the shot. And if there was a rebound, they were able to find it before Washington.

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Offensively, they looked quicker on the puck than they have all series. The broadcast tried to say Washington looked careless and simply expected to show up and win. That might be true to an extent, but that’s discrediting the Lightning. They came out with more determination and worked harder in all areas. They got in on the forecheck and forced Washington to make mistakes in their own zone.

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