National Hockey League
Tampa Bay 1, Toronto 0
When: 7:00 PM ET, Wednesday, January 27, 2016
Where: Amalie Arena, Tampa, Florida
Referees: Brian Pochmara, Kyle Rehman
Linesmen: Derek Amell, Tony Sericolo
Attendance: 19092

TAMPA, Fla. -- Andrei Vasilevskiy won his sixth straight decision on Wednesday night with his best performance of the season, shutting out the Toronto Maple Leafs in a 1-0 win at Amalie Arena to send the Tampa Bay Lightning into the All-Star break with momentum.

A power-play goal by Lightning center Steven Stamkos in the first five minutes held up as the only goal, with Toronto backup Jonathan Bernier keeping the Maple Leafs in the game with 28 saves.

Vasilevskiy, the Lightning's backup goalie, had allowed at least two goals in his last five games before Wednesday. With his parents in the stands to see him play in person for the first time in his NHL career, he came up big for Tampa Bay.

"To get a shutout, every time it's amazing for a goalie," Vasilevskiy said. "Most importantly, to get the win tonight. We have to keep going."

Tampa Bay (27-18-4) won eight of nine games going into the break, with the 21-year-old Vasilevskiy stopping all 29 Toronto shots for his first shutout of the season and just the second of his career.

Toronto (17-22-9) has just one win in its last 10 games and was shut out for the seventh time this season. The Maple Leafs pulled their goalie for the final two minutes but couldn't even the score.

Tampa Bay took 17 of the game's first 18 shots before eventually scoring a power-play goal five minutes in while not allowing a shot in the first 13 minutes.

Stamkos reclaimed the team scoring lead with his 21st goal of the season, shortly after Toronto was called for a delay penalty for sending the puck over the glass. Stamkos had been tied with winger Nikita Kucherov before the goal.

Tampa Bay owned the opening period, outshooting Toronto 17-1 at one point.

"The start today wasn't good enough. They scored on the first power play they had," Toronto center Leo Komarov said. "We had a lot of chances, but we don't get the puck in the net. When you score one, you get more confidence. We have three goals in our last (four) games, so it's tough."

The best of Vasilevskiy's 16 saves through two periods came with 1:15 left in the second, making a point-blank glove save off a rebound to take the shutout into the third period.

"He was our best player, by far, probably the best player on the ice," defenseman Anton Stralman said. "He's a kid that works really hard, day in, day out. Maybe hasn't had that great game this year, but that was definitely one of the really best performances you can have. Bottom line, he really won the game for us."

The Lightning had six power plays in game, with Stamkos' winner with the extra man being the difference. Toronto missed on all three of its early power-play opportunities in the game.

"It's just not going in," Maple Leafs defenseman Morgan Rielly said. "You can't play like that the whole game or else a team like that's going to make you pay. It's been a problem lately, so we have to get to the bottom of that. If you play like that for a whole game, it's going to be ugly."

NOTES: Tampa Bay gave starting G Ben Bishop the night off in advance of his All-Star game appearance. ... Toronto's healthy scratches were RW Brad Boyes, LW Josh Leivo and D Martin Marincin. ... Tampa Bay's healthy scratches were RW Erik Condra and D Matthew Carle. ... Tampa Bay will have Bishop and C Steven Stamkos as their All-Star representatives. ... C Leo Komarov will represent Toronto this weekend in Nashville.
Top Game Performances
 
Toronto   Tampa Bay
N/A Points Steven Stamkos 1
N/A Goals Steven Stamkos 1
N/A Assists Valtteri Filppula 1
N/A Power Play Goals Steven Stamkos 1
N/A Short Handed Goals N/A
Jonathan Bernier .966 Save Percentage Andrei Vasilevskiy 1.000
Jonathan Bernier 28 Saves Andrei Vasilevskiy 30
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Shots Goals Power Play Penalty Kill Penalty Mins Face Offs Won
Toronto 30 0 0-3 5-6 14 28
Tampa Bay 29 1 1-6 3-3 8 31
Upcoming Games
  • Tampa Bay will play their next game at home against Detroit. The Lightning have a W/L % of .481 after a win and .636 after a loss.
  • Toronto will play their next game on the road against Boston. The Maple Leafs have a W/L % of .412 after a win and .323 after a loss.