Can Andrei Vasilevskiy shine (again) for Tampa Bay Lightning under the brightest spotlight? 

Tampa Bay Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy has not been his usual self this season or through five games in the first-round playoff series. Can the best goalie in the world find a way to shine brightest under the big spotlight?

The Lightning have found a way to stay alive in this first-round series against the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Despite Vasilevskiy not stealing the show as we have come to expect, Tampa trails 3-2 and has a chance to force a Game 7 tonight at home. For some reason...it feels like Vasilevskiy may just have his best game of the season.

Vasilevskiy is at his best when the pressure is at its highest. Well, there is no pressure like an elimination game. In Game 5, with the Leafs trying to close out the series, the 'Big Cat' stopped 28 of 30 shots, finishing with a .933 save percentage. It was his best game of the series... so far.

"That's what Vasy does," said Lightning Coach Jon Cooper. "It's a one-goal game and you need the save. And he gives you the save."

Andrei Vasilevskiy has a history of shining in the playoffs

Since the start of the 2019-20 postseason, Andrei Vasilevskiy and the Lightning have played 16 games where they have had a chance to eliminate an opponent.

Vasilevskiy’s record in those games is 11-5. In those contests, the 28-year-old has recorded a save percentage of around .951 and has only lost once in regulation. Of course, with the Lightning reaching the Cup Final in all three years since, he has only lost one of those series overall.

But the craziest stat here is that in those 16 games, Vasilevskiy has shut out his opponent six times. When the series is on the line, Andrei Vasilevskiy can smell blood.

This will be a different type of test tonight, as Tampa cannot eliminate the Toronto Maple Leafs with Toronto leading the series. The Bolts have only been in this type of elimination situation three times over the past three playoff runs.

Here is how they turned out:

• Vasilevskiy shut out the New York Islanders in Game 7 of the 2021 Eastern Conference Final.
• The Bolts trailed Toronto 3-2 in 2022 before rattling off two straight wins to advance to the second round.
• And finally, Tampa Bay fell down 3-1 to the Colorado Avalanche in the Stanley Cup Final. They did not win the series but Vasilevskiy was excellent in Games 5 and 6, recording save percentages of .946 and .933.

So what does Andrei Vasilevskiy have in store tonight? Will there be another smothering shutout to force Game 7? Or are the Leafs finally primed to close out a series for the first time in 20 years?