TAMPA, Fla. — In a standout performance, Andrei Vasilevskiy achieved his 300th NHL victory, stopping 24 shots as the Tampa Bay Lightning defeated the Winnipeg Jets 4-1 on Thursday evening, ending Winnipeg’s impressive seven-game winning streak.
Vasilevskiy is now the 40th goaltender in NHL history to reach 300 wins, accomplishing this feat in just 490 games, the quickest of any goalie on record—31 games faster than Jacques Plante.
This loss marked only the second time this season that Winnipeg has been defeated in 17 games, shifting their road record to 7-1.
Jake Guentzel was a key player for Tampa Bay, scoring twice, leading the Lightning to break a troubling five-game losing streak against the Jets, which included a loss of 7-4 in their prior matchup on November 3.
Guentzel opened the scoring at 7:24 in the first period, followed by rapid-fire goals from Brandon Hagel and Anthony Cirelli just 57 seconds apart early in the second period, extending the lead to 3-0.
Winnipeg’s captain, Adam Lowry, found the net via a deflection at 6:54 of the second period, but Guentzel sealed the game with an empty-net goal with only 21 seconds remaining.
While Eric Comrie, the backup goalie for the Jets, recorded 25 saves, he was unable to secure a win, suffering his first loss in four starts this season.
Looking at the game statistics, the Jets entered the match boasting the best power play in the NHL with an impressive conversion rate of 42.2%. However, they struggled significantly, failing to capitalize on any of their five power-play opportunities.
On the other hand, the Lightning, who had recently dealt with a challenging seven-day break, celebrated their first win of the month after a stretch of four games without a win (0-3-1) in November.
A pivotal moment in the game came when Cirelli netted a power-play goal just 4:07 into the second period, marking the Lightning’s first power-play goal in 17 attempts at Amalie Arena this season. The team has converted 31.2% of their power-play chances at home this season, scoring on 38 out of 122 attempts.
In terms of individual performance, this recent victory was only Vasilevskiy’s fifth win against the Jets in 13 outings (5-7-1) throughout his career.
Looking ahead, the Jets will head to Florida for another matchup on Saturday night, while Tampa Bay will be hosting the New Jersey Devils on the same evening.
