'Really good chance' Lightning G Vasilevskiy returns in coming games
Published
The return of Tampa Bay Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy may be just days away.
Lightning head coach Jon Cooper said Wednesday “there’s a really good chance” Vasilevskiy will play on the team's upcoming road trip, which starts Friday in Carolina and runs through Tuesday in Arizona.
Vasilevskiy underwent back surgery to address a lumbar disc herniation in late September and was initially ruled out for the first two months of the season.
The 29-year-old played 60 games last season, posting a 34-22-4 record with a 2.65 goals-against-average and .915 save percentage.
The Tyumen, Russia native has started 415 games with the Lightning in his career, going 263-123-28 with a 2.52 GAA and .919 save percentage.
Vasilevskiy was originally selected 19th overall by the club in the 2012 NHL Draft.