Vasilevskiy gets second straight shutout, Lightning defeat Kraken

TAMPA -- Andrei Vasilevskiy made 17 saves for his second straight shutout and 200th NHL win in a 3-0 victory for the Tampa Bay Lightning against the Seattle Kraken at Amalie Arena on Friday.

"Big achievement, I'm proud of it," he said. "Obviously, I want to thank my teammates for that because I can't win on my own. It's great teamwork."
Vasilevskiy is the Lightning all-time leader in wins (200-86-22) and shutouts (28). He reached 200 wins in 318 games, second-fastest in NHL history behind Ken Dryden (309).
Pierre-Edouard Bellemare scored his first goal of the season for Tampa Bay (12-4-3), which has won three games in a row and six of its past seven.
"That's how we're winning," Lightning coach Jon Cooper said. "So we're playing D, trying to keep things to the outside, and if things break down, the goalie's there and everybody's chipping in. And especially with some of the guys we have out, it's much needed. It's been a really solid team effort."
Philipp Grubauer made 23 saves for Seattle (6-13-1), which is 1-7-1 on the road.
"We were a half step behind tonight," Kraken coach Dave Hakstol said. "We didn't create enough pressure in the offensive zone. We needed to be better at winning pucks in both zones."
Bellemare made it 1-0 at 2:52 of the first period with a snap shot from the left face-off circle inside the far post.

It was the 14th game Seattle allowed the first goal.
"We seem to be giving up the first goal a lot," Kraken center Jaden Schwartz said. "We need better starts. We wind up chasing [the game] too much. They broke the puck out too easily. We didn't do a good job helping each other out."
Ross Colton gave Tampa Bay a 2-0 lead 31 seconds into the second period when he knocked in a loose puck from the high slot after a slap shot by Jan Rutta hit Kraken defenseman Jeremy Lauzon.
Cooper has credited Colton's line with rookies Boris Katchouk and Taylor Raddysh for their work as part of the Lightning's recent surge.
"The minute they put us together, they just said, 'Form an identity,'" Colton said. "I think we've been trying to do that from the first game we've played together. Just play physical and play fast."
Steven Stamkos extended the lead to 3-0 at 11:32 of the third period with a one-timer from the left circle off a pass from Ondrej Palat.

Jordan Eberle had the two best scoring chances for the Kraken. Vasilevskiy made the save against him on a 2-on-1 rush at 1:10 of the first period and on a breakaway at 6:20 of the third.
"They defended well, they skated well, they pushed us to the outside," Hakstol said. "A lot of times we spent the first half of a shift playing defense, and after that you don't have much energy left."
It was Kraken forward Yanni Gourde's first game back in Tampa Bay after six seasons with the Lightning. He was selected by Seattle in the 2021 NHL Expansion Draft on July 21.
The Lightning played a video tribute midway through the first period for Gourde, who received his ring for winning the Stanley Cup last season before the game.
"I hoped the camera didn't pan to me because my eyes were a little watery, to be honest," Cooper said. "And that was as loud of an ovation as you're going to get. I'm sure he was a train wreck after that, because I would've been."
Vasilevskiy said, "It was great. I watched it even though I [usually] never look up at the screen. Great player, great guy, two Stanley Cups. Well deserved."
NOTES: Vasilevskiy made 34 saves in a 4-0 win against the Philadelphia Flyers on Tuesday for his first shutout this season. ... Stamkos has scored seven goals in the past 12 games. ... Lauzon had a game-high eight hits.