Andrei Vasilevskiy wins 2021 Conn Smythe Trophy as MVP of Stanley Cup Playoffs

The Tampa Bay Lightning won their second straight Stanley Cup Trophy on Wednesday evening, finishing off the Montreal Canadiens in five games with a 1-0 win. The Lightning join the dynasty discussion becoming the 18th team to win at least two straight championships to close out the NHL season.

The Lightning won on a complete team effort, but goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy took home the MVP honors for the postseason. Vasilevskiy took home the Conn Smythe Trophy, which goes to the most valuable player for the entire postseason and not just the Stanley Cup Finals. He is the 17th goalie to win the award and the first since Jonathan Quick led the Los Angeles Kings to the Stanley Cup Trophy in 2012.

The Conn Smythe Trophy competition came down to Vasilevskiy and right winger Nikita Kucherov. In 23 games, Kucherov led all players with 32 points, coming on 8 goals and 24 assists. Brayden Point had a solid postseason, leading all players with 14 goals, but Kucherov was a bigger playmaker for the Lightning across the playoffs.

However, neither could quite match Vasilevskiy. He closed out Game 5 with a shutout on 22 saves. He had five shutouts in the playoffs, and at least one in each round. A dynamic goalie is such a huge difference-maker and it’s not surprising Vasilevskiy took home the MVP hardware.