Under normal circumstances, most goaltenders wouldn't seem to care too much about letting in the third goal of a game with your team nursing a 6-3 lead.
But Tampa Bay Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy isn't your typical goaltender. One of the best netminders in the league, Vasilevskiy is likely to have his name thrown into Vezina consideration when the final whistle blows on the 2018-19 regular season.
With just 36.3 seconds remaining in the third, San Jose Sharks forward Marcus Sorenson walked into the high slot and blasted a slapshot through a maze of bodies that found the back of the net to make it 6-3 Tampa.
Vasilevskiy was not a happy camper whatsoever, as he immediately smashed his stick against the crossbar before throwing it away in an aggressive manner. After the NBC Sports California cameras showed the replays of the goal, the netminder tossed in blocker off before one of the officials came over to return his goal stick.
That's one sturdy Bauer stick!
No goalie ever wants to concede a goal, especially in the final minute and this certainly shows Vasilevskiy is a pure competitor. Maybe he had the puck line of -3.5 or perhaps the under of 8.5 goals, or had himself in fantasy hockey and was in tight in the save percentage category in his weekly matchup.
The Lightning sit atop of the NHL with 76 points in 49 games with a 37-10-2 record with Vasilevskiy sporting a 20-6-3 record and a .925 save percentage.
Is this poor sportsmanship or does it merely highlight Vasilevskiy's desire to be the best goaltender he can be? Let us know what you think!
