The Bruins already were trailing the Lightning 4-1 with about nine minutes remaining in the second period when Dan Vladar replaced starting goaltender Jaroslav Halak.
Not exactly the ideal time to make your NHL debut.
The 23-year-old came into the 2020 playoffs as Boston’s third-string goaltender behind Tuukka Rask, who opted out of the playoffs, and Halak, who played in more of a tandem with Rask over the past two seasons.
On Wednesday morning, Boston coach Bruce Cassidy said he wasn’t nervous to put Vladar into the lineup. And Vladar’s play was steady at first. He made some quality saves against the Lightning’s offense before allowing two goals in the second period.
Cassidy stood by his choice after the 7-1 loss.
“It was a point that we felt that if we need Dan Vladar, maybe this is a better way to get (Halak) support,” Cassidy said.
“You know Tampa got energized from that second period and I think we were deflated, and I don’t know, I just had a gut feeling that the guys were going to have a tough time pushing back from three goals down. ... I’m glad (Vladar) got an opportunity to play. I don’t wish him that circumstance, but it is what it is and he got some work in, hopefully he’s better for it if he needs to go back in down the road.”
Vladar made seven saves on nine shots in the second period. He gave up two goals at even strength against Brayden Point and Alex Killorn, which gave the Lightning a 6-1 lead.
As the second intermission began, Vladar and Halak shared a moment together before going down the tunnel.
By the end of the night, Vladar stopped 12 shots while allowing three goals in his 28:42 minutes on the ice.
The Lightning’s Andrei Vasilevskiy, meanwhile, moved into third place among the league’s goaltenders for most wins in the postseason since the start of the 2018 playoffs. He sits behind Washington’s Braden Holtby and Boston’s Rask, who have notched 21 wins in that time. Vegas’ Marc-Andre Fleury is fourth place with 18 wins.
Other notables
Lightning defenseman Braydon Coburn played in his second game of the 2020 postseason. He passed Martin St. Louis and Vincent Lecavalier for eighth (64 games) among the franchise’s all-time leaders for playoff games played. ... Right wing Alex Killorn logged a two-goal night against the Bruins, giving him 25 in the postseason for his career. He moved past captain Steven Stamkos and Lecavalier for fourth-most goals in the franchise’s playoffs history. ... With Nikita Kucherov’s triple assist and one-goal night, the right wing moved into second place among the league’s top scorers, passing Washington’s Alex Ovechkin (38-32—70). Kucherov (33-41—74) sits behind Pittsburgh’s Sidney Crosby (27-48—75) for most points logged since the start of the 2015 playoffs. Kucherov’s goal tied him for first with St. Louis for most goals (33) in the Lightning’s playoff history. He also set the franchise record for most points scored in a game (four).
Johnson takes a beating
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While everyone’s attention seemed to follow Point scoring Tampa Bay’s fifth goal of the night, Tyler Johnson and Torey Krug were getting into it at the other end of the ice.
Johnson took a swing at Krug as he was getting back up on his feet, but it didn’t stop there as Krug pushed the Lightning forward away and threw his stick to the side. The players dropped their gloves and started to fight.
Johnson ripped off Krug’s helmet but the Boston defenseman brought his right arm back and knocked Johnson’s helmet off, pushing his head into the ice. Right after Krug tackled Johnson, the officials came in and tried to break things up.
The players served five-minute major penalties for fighting and did not return the rest of the period. Johnson was able to play the rest of the night, finishing with 14:07 minutes on the ice.
It was a heavy night on the penalties front. Tampa Bay went 3-for-6 on the power play while Boston was held to just 1-for-3. The Lightning sat in the box for a combined 13 minutes while the Bruins sat for a combined 39 minutes.
Contact Mari Faiello at mfaiello@tampabay.com. Follow @faiello_mari.
The Link LonkAugust 27, 2020 at 07:04AM
https://www.tampabay.com/sports/lightning/2020/08/27/nhl-debut-to-forget-for-bruins-dan-vladar/
NHL debut to forget for Bruins’ Dan Vladar - Tampa Bay Times
https://news.google.com/search?q=forget&hl=en-US&gl=US&ceid=US:en
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