Lightning’s Andrei Vasilevskiy named top-rated goaltender in EA Sports NHL 27
After securing the second Vezina Trophy win as the NHL’s best goalie of his career, Tampa Bay Lightning goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy has had another honor bestowed upon him.
As EA Sports continues to reveal details about NHL 27 ahead of its upcoming release, the team behind the game unveiled the top 10 goalies in the game by overall rating, with Vasilevskiy taking the top spot as a 94 overall.
Vasilevskiy helped the Bolts to their ninth consecutive appearance in the Stanley Cup Playoffs and captured the Vezina by posting a 39-15-4 record with a .911 save percentage and 2.31 goals against average. It was also his ninth straight season with at least 30 wins, as Vasilevskiy has been a franchise goaltender in both talent and availability throughout his career.
Tampa Bay finished in second place in the Atlantic Division last season, but suffered a fourth consecutive loss in the first round of the postseason in a seven-game set against the Montreal Canadiens.
Vasilevskiy may be the highest rated netminder in the game, but he does not boast the highest overall rating on his team, as Nikita Kucherov was revealed as the highest-rated right winger this year with a 97 overall.
The rest of the top 10 goalies all have ratings of at least 87, with five of the league’s best hitting the 90 mark. Here’s the full top 10 list in order:
- Andrei Vasilevskiy, Tampa Bay – 94
- Ilya Sorokin, New York Islanders – 93
- Connor Hellebuyck, Winnipeg – 92
- Igor Shesterkin, New York Rangers – 91
- Logan Thompson, Washington – 90
- Jeremy Swayman, Boston – 89
- Jake Oettinger, Dallas – 88
- Jesper Wallstedt, Minnesota – 87
- Lukas Dostal, Anaheim – 87
- Dustin Wolf, Calgary – 87
A week of early access that comes with the deluxe edition of NHL 27 is scheduled for Sept. 4, with the standard edition becoming available for purchase on Sept. 11.