It’s been a rough start to the season for the Tampa Bay Lightning and their star goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy. The team announced on Monday that Vasilevskiy will miss the first two months of the season after undergoing successful back surgery.
Vasilevskiy, who has been the backbone of the Lightning for the past few seasons, has been dealing with back issues since the end of last season. After consulting with doctors, it was determined that surgery was the best course of action to ensure that Vasilevskiy would be healthy for the remainder of the season.
The Lightning will now have to turn to backup goaltender Curtis McElhinney to fill in for Vasilevskiy during his absence. McElhinney is a veteran of the NHL and has proven himself to be a reliable backup in the past. He will be tasked with keeping the Lightning in contention until Vasilevskiy is able to return.
The Lightning are already off to a slow start this season, and losing their star goaltender for two months will not help matters. However, the team is confident that Vasilevskiy will make a full recovery and be ready to go when he is cleared to return.
It’s an unfortunate situation for both Vasilevskiy and the Lightning, but it’s important that Vasilevskiy takes the time he needs to make sure he is fully recovered. With any luck, he’ll be back in time to help the Lightning make a run at the Stanley Cup this season.
