The Tampa Bay Lightning got their No. 1 netminder back.
Andrei Vasilevskiy made his season debut when the Bolts took on the Carolina Hurricanes on Friday.
"He hasn't played an NHL game since April so I know he is eager," Cooper said pregame, according to team beat reporter Gabby Shirley. "There is a ton of work that has gone in to get him to this spot.
"He could not have been more careful with everything that has gone into his preparation and, in total Andrei Vasilevskiy style, he has worked his tail off and this was the date circled on the calendar months ago. We hit the target date and he is ready so I am pretty excited to have him back and I know the guys are for sure."
Vasilevskiy underwent back surgery in late September to address a lumbar disc herniation and was expected to miss approximately the first two months of the campaign.
The Lightning stayed afloat without their star goaltender and sat in third place (fifth in terms of points percentage) of the Atlantic Division with a 9-6-5 record prior to Friday's slate. Jonas Johansson took on the bulk of the starting duties, with Matt Tomkins mainly providing aid on back-to-backs.
| Goalie | Record | SV% | GAA | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Johansson | 8-4-5 (17) | .894 | 3.41 | 2 |
| Tomkins | 1-2-0 (3) | .889 | 3.40 | 0 |
As of Thursday, Tampa Bay tied the Calgary Flames for the league's seventh-worst save percentage (.888) at all strengths, according to Natural Stat Trick.
Lightning forward Brandon Hagel gave Johansson credit for helping stabilize the squad's crease.
"At the end of the day, (Johansson) did a hell of a job to put us in a playoff spot," he said, per team beat reporter Chris Krenn. "It was a tough situation for him coming to a new team, not a ton of experience, but the way he played was incredible. He helped this team so much."
Vasilevskiy's return provides a huge boost to the Lightning's mission to prove that they're not afterthoughts in a competitive Eastern Conference. The 29-year-old helped propel the Bolts to back-to-back Stanley Cup championships in 2020 and 2021 - he won the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP the second time around - and he took home the Vezina Trophy as the league's best goalie in 2019.
The Russian's 263 wins in 425 regular-season games are the sixth most out of all active goalies, while his 65 victories in 110 playoff matchups are the second most, trailing only Marc-Andre Fleury.
A workhorse through and through, Vasilevskiy started every postseason game for the Bolts in each of the last five campaigns. During the Lightning's two Cup runs, he registered a dazzling .932 save percentage and 1.90 goals against average.
Vasilevskiy appeared in 60 games for a second straight season in 2022-23, posting a 34-22-4 record to go along with a .915 save percentage and 2.65 goals against average.
The Lightning cleared the way for Vasilevskiy's return by placing Tomkins on waivers Thursday.
