When it's all said and done on New Year's Eve, Tampa Bay Lightning goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy will likely look back fondly on 2021. It's been a year in which he's done a lot of winning -- more winning in a single calendar year than any other player in NHL history has.
In the Lightning's 2-1 victory over the Ottawa Senators on Thursday night, Andrei Vasilevskiy set the NHL record for wins by an individual player in a calendar year, earning his 63rd victory of 2021 between the regular season and playoffs. Vasilevskiy broke the NHL record of 62, which was set by Pittsburgh Penguins goalie Marc-Andre Fleury in 2009.
Vasilevskiy earned his record with his performance against Ottawa, as he made 25 saves to frustrate the Senators' scoring efforts. He was not the only Lightning player to reach a professional milestone on Thursday, as center Steven Stamkos scored the 900th point of his career on a power-play assist in the second period.
Stamkos is now the second player in Lightning history to reach 900 points, joining franchise great Martin St. Louis (953).
With their win over Ottawa, the defending Stanley Cup Champions have gone 7-1-1 in their last nine games, despite the loss of some of their best players. Forwards Nikita Kucherov and Brayden Point are both injured, as is defenseman Erik Cernak.
"We kind of joked, we're the Tampa Bay find-a-ways," Stamkos said in a report by Mark Didtler of the Associated Press. "We just find a way to win, find a way to get points."
With still plenty of playing time left in 2021, the Lightning will begin a three-game road trip on Saturday with a match against the Colorado Avalanche.
