Panthers' Vitek Vanecek: Loses last game of season
Rotowire
Vitacek made 26 saves in a 5-1 loss to Tampa Bay on Tuesday.
Tampa Bay secured the No. 2 seed in the Atlantic Division and home-ice advantage with the win. This was Florida's last game of the season, and it will be Vanecek's last action of this year unless he's forced into relief. It's Sergei Bobrovsky all the way from this point forward. Vanecek's results in Florida (2-4-1; 3.00 GAA and .890 save percentage) were no better than what he showed in San Jose (3-10-3; 3.88 GAA and .882 save percentage). He becomes an unrestricted free agent this summer; he will get a contract as a backup netminder from some team. Nothing more.
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Panthers' Vitek Vanecek: Tending twine Tuesday
Rotowire
Vanecek will guard the road goal against Tampa Bay on Tuesday, Doug Plagens of the Panthers Radio Network reports.
Vanecek will get the second half of Florida's back-to-back after Sergei Bobrovsky played in Monday's 5-3 loss to the Rangers. The 29-year-old Vanecek is coming off a 26-save performance in Saturday's 3-2 shootout win over Buffalo. Tampa Bay sits first in the league with 3.59 goals per game in 2024-25.
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Panthers' Vitek Vanecek: Nabs first win in April
Rotowire
Vanecek turned aside 26 shots in regulation and overtime and all three shootout attempts he faced in Saturday's 3-2 win over the Sabres.
It was the first win for the 29-year-old netminder in over a month and just his second since being acquired by the Panthers to back up Sergei Bobrovsky. Vanecek has gone 2-3-1 with a 2.66 GAA and .900 save percentage in six outings for his new squad, and he'll likely make one more regular-season appearance with Florida facing a back-to-back to wrap up its schedule, Monday versus the Rangers and Tuesday against the Lightning in a game that could have playoff seeding implications.
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Panthers' Vitek Vanecek: Slated to start Saturday
Rotowire
Vanecek is expected to be between the home pipes versus Buffalo on Saturday, according to Colby Guy of The Palm Beach Post.
Vanecek shut out the Sabres on March 8, the last time the two teams met, turning aside 21 shots. The win has been the only one for Vanecek in a Florida uniform, as he is 1-3-1 since being acquired from San Jose. The Sabres rank seventh in the league with 3.26 goals per contest in 2024-25.
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Panthers' Vitek Vanecek: Extends losing streak
Rotowire
Vanecek stopped 22 of 24 shots in Sunday's 2-1 loss to the Red Wings.
Vanecek returned to the Panthers' crease after not playing in the team's previous two games, but he was tagged with yet another loss -- he's now dropped each of his last four starts while allowing at least three goals in three of those contests. Over that four-game stretch, the 29-year-old has gone 0-3-1 with a 3.56 GAA and an .874 save percentage, so he's far from being a reliable fantasy option in most formats.
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Panthers' Vitek Vanecek: Starting in Detroit
Rotowire
Vanecek will guard the road goal versus the Red Wings on Sunday, according to Doug Plagens of the Panthers Radio Network.
Vanecek will get the second half of Florida's back-to-back after Sergei Bobrovsky played in Saturday's 3-0 loss to Ottawa. The 29-year-old Vanecek has allowed 12 goals on 87 shots during his three-game losing skid (0-2-1). He has gone 4-12-4 with one shutout, a 3.72 GAA and an .883 save percentage across 22 appearances between Florida and San Jose this season. Detroit is tied for 21st in the league with 2.84 goals per game in 2024-25.
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Panthers' Vitek Vanecek: Falls to Habs
Rotowire
Vanecek made 18 saves in Tuesday's 3-2 overtime loss to the Canadiens.
The Panthers held a 2-1 lead heading into the third period, but Vanecek couldn't make it stick as Nick Suzuki scored two goals 38 seconds apart -- the first with nine seconds left in regulation, and then the winner 29 seconds into OT. After winning his first start for Florida, Vanecek has dropped his last three decisions, going 0-2-1 with a 4.04 GAA and .862 save percentage. The Panthers are all but locked into a playoff spot but are fighting for first place in the Atlantic Division with the Maple Leafs and Lightning, so how much they prioritize that seeding could determine how often Vanecek gets used to spell Sergei Bobrovsky down the stretch.
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Panthers' Vitek Vanecek: Starting in Montreal
Rotowire
Vanecek will defend the road net against Montreal on Tuesday, Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports reports.
Vanecek has lost his last two outings, surrendering nine goals on 66 shots. Since being acquired from San Jose on March 5, the 29-year-old netminder has a 1-2-0 record with one shutout, a 3.04 GAA and an .897 save percentage with Florida. Montreal ranks 15th in the league with 2.99 goals per game in 2024-25.
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Panthers' Vitek Vanecek: Set to start Saturday
Rotowire
Vanecek is expected to start on the road against Washington on Saturday, per Doug Plagens of the Panthers Radio Network.
Vanecek has a 4-11-3 record, 3.64 GAA and .888 save percentage between San Jose and Florida this season. He's appeared in two games with the Panthers since being traded March 5, posting a 1-1-0 record, 1.53 GAA and .944 save percentage over that stretch. The Capitals own a 46-15-8 record and a league-leading 3.62 goals per game, making the team a challenging adversary.
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Panthers' Vitek Vanecek: Fades in third period
Rotowire
Vanecek allowed three goals on 33 shots in Sunday's 4-2 loss to the Islanders. The fourth goal was an empty-netter.
Vanecek had a 2-0 lead to protect after two periods. He couldn't get the job done, allowing all three goals against in a span of 6:04 over the middle of the final frame, including two of those tallies coming from the Islanders' fourth line. All in all, it was a disappointing result for Vanecek, who dropped to 4-11-3 with a 3.63 GAA and an .888 save percentage over 20 appearances between the Panthers and the Sharks this season. The Panthers have a back-to-back next weekend -- Saturday on the road versus the Capitals and Sunday at home versus the Penguins -- so Vanecek shouldn't have to wait too long to get his next start.
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Panthers' Vitek Vanecek: Blanks Buffalo in Florida debut
Rotowire
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
Rotowire
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.
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Sharks' Vitek Vanecek: Held out for roster management
Rotowire
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
Rotowire
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
Rotowire
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.
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Sharks' Vitek Vanecek: Win slips away in Winnipeg
Rotowire
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
Rotowire
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
Rotowire
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: Strong showing in overtime loss
Rotowire
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
Rotowire
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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