Panthers' Vitek Vanecek: Blanks Buffalo in Florida debut
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Vanecek made 21 saves in Saturday's 4-0 win over the Sabres.
In his first start for his new club since being acquired from the Sharks, Vanecek demonstrated the benefits of improved defensive play in front of him as he recorded his first shutout in nearly two years. The 29-year-old goalie won't see much work behind Sergei Bobrovsky down the stretch, but Vanecek should deliver better ratios than the career-worst 3.89 GAA and .882 save percentage he produced over 18 outings for San Jose.
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Panthers' Vitek Vanecek: Slated to start Saturday
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Vanecek was the first goaltender off the ice at the morning skate, Colby Guy of The Palm Beach Post reports, and is expected to defend the home crease versus Buffalo on Saturday.
Vanecek will make his Florida debut in Saturday's matchup after being acquired from San Jose on Wednesday. He lost seven straight games for the lowly Sharks before the trade and was 3-10-3 with a 3.88 GAA and an .882 save percentage across 18 appearances this season. His numbers should improve with the Panthers. The Sabres have generated 3.18 goals per game, 11th in the NHL this season.
Vanecek was acquired by the Panthers from the Sharks on Wednesday in exchange for Patrick Giles, George Richards of Florida Hockey Now reports.
Vanecek is currently mired in a seven-game losing streak, having gone 0-5-2 with a 4.46 GAA over that stretch. Overall, the 29-year-old Czech has managed a meager three wins in his 18 appearances for San Jose this year. With the move to Florida, Vanecek figures to slide into the No. 2 role behind Sergei Bobrovsky.
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Sharks' Vitek Vanecek: Held out for roster management
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Vanecek won't start against the Sabres on Tuesday ahead of a potential trade, Heather Engel of NHL.com reports.
Vanecek is still expected to serve as the backup to Alexandar Georgiev, who will feature in back-to-back games after facing the Maple Leafs on Monday. The 29-year-old Vanecek hasn't exactly impressed this season, going 3-10-3 with a career-worst 3.88 GAA in his 18 appearances for the Sharks. Assuming Vanecek does get shipped out ahead of Friday's deadline, San Jose will likely bring back Yaroslav Askarov from the minors.
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Sharks' Vitek Vanecek: Still no wins since November
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Vanecek made 27 saves on 31 shots in a 5-3 loss to Ottawa on Saturday. The fifth goal was an empty-netter.
The most memorable part of Vanecek's performance was the shoving match with Brady Tkachuk in the last few minutes of the first period. Vanecek has lost seven starts in a row (0-5-2) and hasn't won since Nov. 29 against Seattle. He has posted a 3-10-3 record with a 3.88 GAA and an .882 save percentage through 18 appearances this season, making him an untrustworthy fantasy option.
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Sharks' Vitek Vanecek: Guarding cage Saturday
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Vanecek will defend the visiting net in Ottawa on Saturday, Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now reports.
Vanecek was terrific Monday, turning aside 33 shots in a 2-1 overtime loss to Winnipeg. He is 3-9-3 with a 3.87 GAA and an .882 save percentage over 17 appearances for the Sharks this season. The Senators are generating 2.76 goals per game in 2024-25, 24th in the NHL.
Vanecek made 33 saves in Monday's 2-1 overtime loss to the Jets.
It was a gut punch of a loss. Vanecek took a shutout into the final minute of regulation, but Josh Morrissey blasted a one-timer through traffic with 26 seconds left to tie it, and Mark Scheifele then banged home a rebound 93 seconds into OT. The 29-year-old netminder has started three of San Jose's last four games, going 0-1-2 with a 3.97 GAA and an .871 save percentage, but with Alexandar Georgiev having gone 0-6-0 since Jan. 16, Vanecek should remain in the mix in the crease despite his own lack of success.
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Sharks' Vitek Vanecek: Tending twine in Winnipeg
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Vanecek will defend the road crease against the Jets on Monday, Curtis Pashelka of The San Jose Mercury News reports.
Vanecek returned to action just before the 4 Nations Face-Off break, but he wasn't particularly effective over two starts, going 0-1-1 with a 5.01 GAA and .828 save percentage. He'll face a tough test Monday, as the Jets rank second in the NHL with 3.60 goals per game.
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Sharks' Vitek Vanecek: Lit up in loss
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Vanecek allowed eight goals on 34 shots in Saturday's 8-3 loss to the Stars.
Vanecek isn't fully to blame for this game -- when the score is that lopsided, it's a full-team failure. The 29-year-old looked pretty good in his return from a fractured cheekbone when he took an overtime loss to the Canucks on Thursday, but the Stars humbled him with seven straight goals after the Sharks established a 2-0 lead. The netminder is now 3-9-2 with a 4.01 GAA and an .878 save percentage across 16 appearances. Vanecek and Alexandar Georgiev are likely to split the starts for the Sharks as long as they're the only two netminders at the NHL level, though the distribution of work could become trickier if Yaroslav Askarov receives another call-up.
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Sharks' Vitek Vanecek: In goal Saturday
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Vanecek will protect the home net against Dallas on Saturday, Curtis Pashelka of The San Jose Mercury News reports.
Vanecek is coming off a 22-save effort in Thursday's 2-1 overtime loss to Vancouver. He has a 3-8-2 record with a 3.70 GAA and an .887 save percentage across 15 NHL appearances this season. Dallas ranks 10th in the league with 3.19 goals per game in 2024-25.
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Sharks' Vitek Vanecek: Strong showing in overtime loss
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Vanecek stopped 22 of 24 shots in Thursday's 2-1 overtime loss to the Canucks.
Vanecek kept the Canucks' off the board for over two periods. Macklin Celebrini's two mistakes in the contest -- a delay-of-game minor in the third period and a hooking call that led to a penalty shot in overtime -- resulted in both of Vancouver's goals. Vanecek hadn't played since Dec. 14 or suited up since Dec. 17, when he suffered a fractured cheekbone on the bench during a game against the Jets. Now that he's healthy, he'll push Alexandar Georgiev for playing time, though if both goalies struggle, Yaroslav Askarov could get another look at the NHL level. Vanecek is 3-8-2 with a 3.70 GAA and a .887 save percentage over 15 appearances this season.
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Sharks' Vitek Vanecek: Expected to start Thursday
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Vanecek (face) was the first goaltender off the ice at morning skate and is slated to guard the home cage versus Vancouver on Thursday, Max Miller of NHL.com reports.
Vanecek will make his first NHL appearance since he suffered a fractured cheekbone sitting on the bench as the backup goaltender against the Jets on Dec. 17. Vanecek is a mediocre 3-8-1 with a 3.84 GAA and an .885 save percentage in 14 games this season. The Canucks are generating 2.83 goals per game, 22nd in the NHL in 2024-25.
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Sharks' Vitek Vanecek: Recalled from conditioning loan
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Vanecek (face) was summoned from his conditioning assignment with AHL San Jose on Sunday.
The Sharks assigned Yaroslav Askarov to the minors in a corresponding move. Vanecek hasn't been in the lineup for the Sharks since Dec. 17 against Winnipeg, when he suffered a fractured cheekbone while sitting on the bench as the backup. Vanecek will compete for playing time with Alexandar Georgiev, but Askarov could return to the NHL before the conclusion of the regular season.
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Sharks' Vitek Vanecek: Removed from IR
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Vanecek (face), who is on a conditioning stint with AHL San Jose, has been removed from injured reserve, per the NHL media site Friday.
Vanecek likely will make his return to the ice against AHL Henderson on Friday and could even pull a double, as the Barracuda also play the Silver Knights again Saturday. Once the 29-year-old backstop gets his legs back under him, he should be in contention for starts with the Sharks -- though he'll need to edge out Yaroslav Askarov to reclaim the starting job.
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Sharks' Vitek Vanecek: On conditioning assignment
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Vanecek (face) was sent to AHL San Jose on Wednesday for a conditioning stint.
Vanecek hasn't played between the pipes since Dec. 14, so this will give him a chance to shake off the rust before playing for the Sharks. He has a 3-8-1 record, 3.84 GAA and .885 save percentage in 2024-25. Yaroslav Askarov has likely done well enough to warrant him staying in the NHL even after Vanecek is available, though that might create a situation where the Sharks are carrying three goaltenders, including Vanecek and Alexandar Georgiev. Perhaps Georgiev, who has a 3.65 GAA and an .876 save percentage in 30 outings in 2024-25, will be put on waivers once Vanecek is back with the Sharks.
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Sharks' Vitek Vanecek: Expected to practice soon
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Vanecek (face) could return to practice before the end of the week after head coach Ryan Warsofsky told reporters Tuesday, "Definitely progressing, taking shots. We probably envision him getting into practice here, possibly by the end of the week," Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now reports.
Vanecek's timeline likely means his first chance to get back into the crease would be next Thursday's clash with Seattle -- though the team hasn't provided a more concrete return-to-play plan. Even once given the all-clear, Vanecek could struggle to reclaim the starting job since Yaroslav Askarov has been performing well.
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Sharks' Vitek Vanecek: Not close to returning
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Vanecek is week-to-week with a fractured cheekbone, Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now reports Saturday.
Vanecek has a 3-8-1 record, 3.84 GAA and .885 save percentage in 14 outings this campaign. He was injured when struck by the puck while on the bench during Dec. 17's 4-3 loss to Winnipeg. Yaroslav Askarov is up from AHL San Jose and getting some work -- the 21-year-old is set to start Saturday against Calgary -- due to Vanecek's absence.
