November Star of the Month: Vladislav Namestnikov

By: John Gianfrancesco

I PROMISE you Vasy is not overlooked on here. Vasy has been simply outstanding this season and could probably win his 2nd star of the month in a row if it wasn’t for an offensive clinic the Bolts have been putting on so far this season. The early stages have seen the best 1st line in hockey, Namestnikov-Stamkos-Kucherov ignite at a record pace. The Bolts dominance really showed up during the California road trip & once again the 1st line continued to shine. One pawn shone a little brighter than his line mates however. Yes he is Russian. No, he doesn’t have a wonderful beard. In fact, he still has a baby face. The one and only, Vladislav Namestnikov.

As I talked about in my article about Vladdy I wrote earlier, he is playing the best hockey of his young career. His skill and more-so gritty style of hockey showed up in the California road trip when the Bolts faced the Kings, Sharks & Ducks, LA & San Jose being a back to back outing. Against the Sharks, Vladdy netted 2 goals and 1 assist for a 3 point outing as the Bolts won 5-1 in San Jose. The following night, he potted another goal as the Bolts beat the Kings 5-2. When the Bolts traveled to Anaheim, the offense had run out of 5 goals a game energy but guess what? Vladdy scored again as the Bolts won 2-1 and went 3-0-0 on the Cali road trip.

Before the Cali trip, Vladdy had 1 assist and was a -1 in 2 games throughout the beginning of November. The rest of the month post-Cali saw Namestnikov score 1 goal, have 4 assists and collect a -3 rating. The Bolts hit a rough patch towards the end of November which consisted of 2 back to backs and only seeing 1 win in those 4 contests that saw the Bolts play 4 games in 6 days. Cooper has since changed up the lines to find a different blend of chemistry and that has worked so far in December (but I can’t dive too deep). Vladdy had a pretty good November but being the offensive catalyst on a tough California road trip earned him this Star of the Month award. Vladdy now has 24 points on the season in 27 games and has 11 goals and 13 assists. I’m predicting an 18-25 goal season and a 50-60 point season for the Russian kid. Tampa loves ya Vladdy!

Honorable Mentions:

Brayden Point – Pointer has had a fantastic season as the No. 2 center in Tampa and November was no different. 7 points in 12 games, Pointer also hit a rough patch along with the team going pointless in 4 straight. However, Pointer had 3 goals and 4 assists in November and his 2nd line of Palat-Point-Gourde has been almost as good as the 1st line. One of the better zone time lines and forecheckers, they almost single handedly earned the Lightning a point in an uncharacteristic 5-3 loss to the Islanders. Point has 23 points on the season with 10 goals and is a +9. Not bad for a 21 year old 3rd round draft pick in his 2nd season.

Andrei Vasilevskiy – This is the 2nd time Vasy has made the honorable mentions section of my article. If it wasn’t for Kuch breaking records in October, Vasy was a shoe in. Vasy has a .932 save percentage and a 2.21 GAA. He is an elite talent in this league and a Vezina candidate early on. After a tough OTL to NYR to start off November, Vasy won his next 4 starts. Add a shutout in Buffalo and Vasy had a decent November. Vasy allowed more the 2 goals only 3 times in November but has arguably been the best player night in and night out for the Lightning. Yzerman struck gold with this kid and we’re only getting started. At 23 years old and being in his first season as a true Number 1 goalie, Vasy is 18-4-1 and if i’m correct, has yet to be pulled this season. Vasy has been the best player for the Bolts all season in my mind. I love the kid. Have his jersey, got it signed, now I can’t wait for his 6 yr $40.8 million dollar extension.

#GoBolts