Vanecek stepping up in crucial moment
It was 1 a.m. in the Czech Republic when Vitek Vanecek’s family and friends turned on the stream of the 25-year-old netminder’s NHL debut.
Starting in between the pipes for the first time for the Washington Capitals in midJanuary, Vanecek’s parents, grandmother, uncles, older brother and hometown friends in Havlickuv Brod all watched Vanecek’s breakout 30-save performance in a 2-1 win against the Buffalo Sabres.
He was greeted with close to 1,000 messages from family and friends when he stepped off the ice. The Capitals’ former goalie coach Mitch Korn, now with the New York Islanders, sent him a quick note, too. Former Capitals head coach Barry Trotz also praised the young goalie in a news conference, saying he was as proud of Vanecek as if he were still on the Washington staff.
“It was a lot,” said Vanecek, who spent five seasons in the minors before making his NHL debut. “I texted everybody and said thank you to everyone. It was nice, the people, the reaction and they all text me. I love that.”
For casual onlookers, Vanecek’s first outing in net was nothing more than seeing one half of the Capitals’
young netminding duo notch his first win.
But since No. 1 goalie Ilya Samsonov tested positive for the coronavirus Jan. 19 and was put on the NHL’s COVID-19 related absences list, Vanecek has been given the reins — and he has excelled.
Vanecek is now 5-0-2 to open the season and has had six consecutive starts with a 2.78 goals-against average and a .918 save percentage. He has given the Capitals a strong opportunity to win each outing.
Sharks
San Jose is back home and skating at their facility after five weeks on the road. They took advantage of an unexpected window to practice in San Jose after games Monday and Wednesday against the Vegas Golden Knights were postponed because of COVID19 protocol concerns with some members of the Golden Knights organization. They have been away for six weeks since leaving the Bay Arena for training camp in Scottsdale, Ariz., on Dec. 30.
Rangers
Slumping New York placed defenseman Tony DeAngelo on waivers one day after he struggled in a 5-4 overtime loss to the Penguins. DeAngelo, 25, in his fifth NHL season, was on ice for four of the Penguins’ goals.