WASHINGTON _ The Lightning and Capitals had some of everything: Eight goals, 82 shots and 15 penalties, great goaltending ... and that was only in regulation.
Amidst the all of that, it might have been easy to miss the great goaltending.
Andrei Vasilevskiy saw 58 shots in Tampa Bay's 5-4 overtime win Wednesday. He saved 54 of them, for a new career high and a franchise record.
He sprawled, he dove, he made a pad save while holding his stick upside down. In a flashy game that left fans entertained on all levels, Vasilevskiy might deserve the most credit.
Most coaches say the penalty kill starts with your goalie. On Wednesday, that was truly the case. The Lightning gave the Capitals six power plays and killed all but one. Washington spent a lot of time in the offensive zone. Vasilevskiy didn't allow much, making 15 saves on the kill alone.
"I think we need to go give Vasy a big hug," Steven Stamkos said on the NBCSN broadcast immediately following the game. "He was incredible for us tonight."
The Capitals got things started in the first period, on a tough Lightning turnover. Alex Killorn tried to backhand a pass at the defensive blue line and lost the puck. Lars Eller split two defensemen and scored.
Things really got interesting in the second period. The Lightning scored three goals in the first 6:45 to take a 3-1 lead.
First off, Nikita Kucherov scored on a nice wrist shot from the top of the circle, fed by Stamkos. Kucherov held the puck for an extra second, just long enough to get goaltender Braden Holtby to bite one way and then shoot the other. That put the Lightning on the board, 1-1, just 1:19 into the period.
Stamkos scored 53 seconds later. He carried the puck into the slot to get a clear shooting lane and wristed it past Holtby, giving the Lightning the lead.
Anthony Cirelli had some luck on his side a few minutes later. Mathieu Joseph freed the puck up with a good play on the forecheck and took a shot. It bounced out to Cirelli who spun and threw the puck on net. It bounced off John Carlson into the net.
Carl Hagelin got one back for the Capitals about midway through the period. The pass from Eller forced Vasilevskiy into a split and Hagelin shot high, just over the glove.
T.J. Oshie tied it up three minutes after that. He tried to tip Alex Ovechkin's pass, but Vasilevskiy made the save. Oshie took another attempt at the rebound, this time connecting.
The lead lasted fewer than 90 seconds. Kucherov scored his second, a one-timer from a tough angle at the bottom of the faceoff circle.
Shortly after that, things exploded. Cedric Paquette checked Michal Kempny, which the latter took exception to. Kempny checked Paquette up high and Paquette came back hard. A scrum ensued. Yanni Gourde and Jakob Vrana dropped the gloves and the whole thing resulted in seven penalties.
The Lightning carried the lead for most of the third period. Finally, with 53 seconds left in regulation, Evgeny Kuznetsov beat Vasilevskiy five-hole near the bottom of the right circle.
Victor Hedman was the hero in overtime. With 1:59 remaining, Hedman carried the puck up the ice. He approached the net wide, coming in slowly, and then tucked the puck around Holtby's pad.
In a game featuring nine total goals, it was still the goalie who deserves the most credit. Without Vasilevskiy, this would have been a very different look for the Lightning.
