Andrei Vasilevskiy's weakness has just been revealed and it's worrying

While the officials have been at the center of discussions since the beginning of this series, the mental game between the two teams has also been a hot topic. Recently, Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe openly mentioned that he found a weakness in Lightning goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy.

Indeed, not only did Keefe reveal this weakness publicly to play on the psychology of opposing players, including the excellent Russian goalie, but he also specifically named this vulnerability. According to Keefe, Vasilevskiy is particularly vulnerable to shots from distance when there is traffic in front of him.

Indeed, it seems that this information is well known within the Lightning team. During intermission of the last game between the two teams, Derek Lalonde, former Tampa Bay assistant coach and current head coach of the Detroit Red Wings, confirmed this.

This statement is certainly concerning for Lightning players and fans.

It's clear that the loss of Ryan McDonagh last offseason and Victor Hedman during the current series has had a significant impact on the goaltending. Not having those behemoths in front of him to clear the view for nearly 30 minutes a game is certainly destabilizing for Vasilevskiy.

Indeed, it will be interesting to see if the Maple Leafs can take advantage of this knowledge on Thursday night in Game 5 of the series, when they lead 3-1. However, it should be remembered that the Leafs have struggled in the past to maintain their lead in these situations, as seen in their series against the CH in 2021.