TAMPA, Fla. — The Lightning’s early lead went away quickly Thursday night, then goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy disappeared down the tunnel.
After allowing three goals to Anaheim in the first 10:41 of the second period, including two in a 22-second span, Vasilevskiy was pulled in favor of backup Brian Elliott.
Maybe it was a message by coach Jon Cooper to Vasilevskiy’s teammates, who suddenly struggled to protect the front of the net after a solid first period. But pulling Vasilevskiy for performance issues is a rare move for Cooper.
