Vanecek stopped 26 of 28 shots in Tuesday's 4-2 win over the Kings.
Vanecek earned his first win of the campaign, and this was just the second time in six outings he's allowed two or fewer goals. The 28-year-old is now at a 1-4-0 record with 20 goals allowed on 165 shots. The Sharks have won two games in a row, but this is likely just a blip on the radar for a team that's in line to struggle for much of the campaign. Vanecek is set to continue sharing the crease with Mackenzie Blackwood as the Sharks go through a five-game homestand.
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Sharks' Vitek Vanecek: Starting Tuesday
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Vanecek will patrol the home crease Tuesday against the Kings, per Curtis Pashelka of The San Jose Mercury News.
Vanecek will get the second half of San Jose's back-to-back after Mackenzie Blackwood played in Monday's 5-4 overtime win over Utah. The 28-year-old Vanecek has posted a mark of 0-4-0 with a 4.00 GAA and an .869 save percentage in five appearances this season. LA has potted 28 goals in nine games during the 2024-25 campaign.
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Sharks' Vitek Vanecek: Rough start in Vegas
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Vanecek stopped 35 of 42 shots in Saturday's 7-3 loss to the Golden Knights.
Given the quality of each team's offense and defense, Saturday's result won't surprise anyone. Vanecek is now 0-4-0 through five appearances this season, though seven goals allowed is a new level of bad for the 28-year-old netminder. Mackenzie Blackwood fared a bit better in losses to the Ducks and Kings recently. The Sharks have a back-to-back up next with a road game in Utah on Monday before heading home to host the Kings on Tuesday, so both Vanecek and Blackwood should get a start.
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Sharks' Vitek Vanecek: Starting in Vegas
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Vanecek will defend the road net Saturday against the Golden Knights, Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now reports.
Vanecek has surrendered 11 goals on 95 shots en route to a record of 0-3-0 through four appearances this season. Vegas has accounted for 35 goals in eight games this campaign.
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Sharks' Vitek Vanecek: Falls to Avalanche
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Vanecek allowed three goals on 21 shots in Sunday's 4-1 loss to the Avalanche. The fourth goal was an empty-netter.
The Sharks actually played a decent defensive game in front of Vanecek, but a pair of Ross Colton tallies in the first period would be all the Avalanche needed. Vanecek remains winless (0-3-0) with 11 goals allowed on 95 shots over four appearances this season. The Sharks have an 0-4-2 record through six games as a team, and the crease situation could be a win-and-stay-in or a straight alternating pattern. By any token, it's likely Mackenzie Blackwood gets the nod Tuesday in Anaheim, while Vanecek should be penciled in for Thursday's game in Los Angeles.
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Sharks' Vitek Vanecek: Guarding crease Sunday
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Vanecek will protect the home crease Sunday versus Colorado, Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now reports.
Vanecek has posted a record of 0-2-0 in three appearances this season while surrendering eight goals on 74 shots. Despite a 1-4-0 start to the 2024-25 campaign, Colorado has accumulated 17 goals across five outings.
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Sharks' Vitek Vanecek: Allows three goals in relief outing
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Vanecek stopped 15 of 18 shots in relief of Mackenzie Blackwood in Friday's 8-3 loss to the Jets.
Vanecek fared a little better than his teammate in this contest, but neither goalie put in an effort to write home about. The 28-year-old Vanecek wasn't on the hook for the loss, as the Sharks were unable to cover the damage from Blackwood's poor start. Vanecek has allowed eight goals on 74 shots across three appearances so far. With the Sharks alternating goalie starts in the early going, Vanecek is lined up for a home start versus the Avalanche on Sunday.
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Sharks' Vitek Vanecek: Yields four goals in loss
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Vanecek gave up four goals on 27 shots in Thursday's 4-2 loss to the Blackhawks.
Chicago had three goals less than 21 minutes into the game, and that was enough to send Vanecek to his second loss in as many starts. While the Sharks remain winless, they've played a bit better in front of Mackenzie Blackwood so far. Both goalies will likely get their looks between the pipes since the Sharks are still in rebuilding mode. Look for Blackwood to start Friday versus the Jets.
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Sharks' Vitek Vanecek: Tending twine Thursday
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Vanecek will patrol the road crease versus Chicago on Thursday, Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now reports.
Vanecek will make his second start of the season after giving up just one goal on 29 shots in his previous outing, albeit a loss to the Ducks. If the 28-year-old Czech can continue competing at that level, he could eventually steal starts away from Mackenzie Blackwood -- though the duo will likely continue splitting the workload for the time being.
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Sharks' Vitek Vanecek: No help in loss
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Vanecek allowed a goal on 29 shots in Saturday's 2-0 loss to the Ducks. The second goal was an empty-netter.
The game was scoreless for 51 minutes before Isac Lundestrom tallied. Vanecek put in a good performance against a weak opponent, but a lack of goal support from his teammates stuck him with the loss in his Sharks debut. Mackenzie Blackwood allowed five goals in an overtime loss to the Blues on Thursday, so Vanecek's stronger performance despite a worse result could help him stay in the mix for playing time. The Sharks play three games in four days on the road next week, beginning with Tuesday's visit to Dallas.
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Sharks' Vitek Vanecek: Playing against Ducks
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Vanecek will guard the home net Saturday against Anaheim, Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now reports.
Vanecek will make his San Jose regular-season debut after being acquired from New Jersey last campaign. He didn't get to play for his new team in 2023-24 because of a lower-body injury. The Ducks ranked 30th in the league last season with 2.48 goals per game and missed the playoffs for a sixth straight year.
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Sharks' Vitek Vanecek: Takes shootout loss
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Vanecek allowed two goals on 42 shots in Friday's 3-2 preseason shootout loss to the Ducks.
Vanecek was pelted with pucks but stood his ground fairly well. Over two preseason appearances, Vanecek surrendered three goals on 54 shots, a better mark than Mackenzie Blackwood, who gave up five goals on 43 shots. Yaroslav Askarov will begin the season with AHL San Jose, but any struggles by Vanecek or Blackwood could prompt the Sharks to change the mix in the NHL crease. Beyond that, Vanecek and Blackwood figure to have a fairly even split of the starts early on, though neither is a particularly strong fantasy option since the Sharks are projected to have another tough season.
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Sharks' Vitek Vanecek: Starting Friday
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Vanecek was the first goalie off the ice at morning skate, per Max Miller of NHL.com, indicating he will get the home start versus Anaheim on Friday.
Vanecek is battling Mackenzie Blackwood for the No. 1 job in San Jose, as rookie sensation Yaroslav Askarov was sent to the AHL on Friday. Vanecek struggled with the Devils last season, going 17-9-3 with a 3.18 GAA and an .890 save percentage in 32 regular-season appearances. He was sensational two seasons ago, registering a 33-11-4 record with a 2.45 GAA and a .911 save percentage. Vanecek is likely somewhere in between this season, although playing for lowly San Jose could hurt his fantasy value.
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Sharks' Vitek Vanecek: First off Tuesday
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Vanecek was the first netminder off the ice at the morning skate, according to Max Miller of NHL.com, indicating he will guard the home net Tuesday in exhibition action versus Anaheim.
Vanecek earned a 17-9-3 record with a 3.18 GAA and an .890 save percentage in 32 regular-season outings for New Jersey in 2023-24. He didn't see any game action with the Sharks after being acquired via a trade in March because of a lower-body injury. Following his recovery in the offseason, he will compete with Mackenzie Blackwood and Yaroslav Askarov (lower body) for the No. 1 goalie role during training camp.
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Sharks' Vitek Vanecek: Should be fine for training camp
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Vanecek (lower body) should be ready for the start of training camp, per Max Miller of The Hockey News on Monday.
Vanecek had a 17-9-3 record, 3.18 GAA and .890 save percentage in 32 contests with New Jersey last season. The Sharks acquired him in March, but he hasn't made his debut with San Jose due to a lower-body injury. Vanecek is set to compete with Mackenzie Blackwood for the starting job in 2024-25.
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Sharks' Vitek Vanecek: Might be done for season
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Vanecek, who was acquired by San Jose from New Jersey on Friday, might be done for the remainder of the season due to his lower-body injury, James Nichols of New Jersey Hockey Now reports Friday.
Vanecek has a 17-9-3 record, 3.18 GAA and .890 save percentage in 32 contests this season. Although the Sharks might not get any use out of him in 2023-24, the goaltender has another season remaining on his three-year, $10.2 million contract.
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Sharks' Vitek Vanecek: Traded to Sharks
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Vanecek (lower body) and a seventh-round pick were traded to San Jose from New Jersey in exchange for Kaapo Kahkonen on Friday, per Jeff Marek of Sportsnet.
Vanecek has a 17-9-3 record, 3.18 GAA and .890 save percentage in 32 outings in 2023-24. He hasn't played since Feb. 10 because of the injury. If and when Vanecek is able to get healthy, he might get an opportunity to serve as the Sharks' No. 1 goaltender.
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Devils' Vitek Vanecek: Moves to IR
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Vanecek (lower body) was placed on injured reserve Tuesday.
In a corresponding move, Jonas Siegenthaler (foot) was activated from the IR list. Vanecek will miss his fifth consecutive contest Tuesday in Washington, and it is unclear when he will be able to return. Nico Daws is likely to see the majority of the starts until Vanecek is deemed fit to play.
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Devils' Vitek Vanecek: Ruled out next two games
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Vanecek (lower body) won't be available for the Devils' next two contests, Mike Morreale of NHL.com reports Thursday.
Vanecek has reportedly recovered from an illness that was hampering his recovery but is still dealing with his lower-body problem. With the Czech backstop on the shelf, Nico Daws will get the nod versus the Kings on Thursday and could also be between the pipes for Saturday's Stadium Series matchup with Philadelphia.
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Devils' Vitek Vanecek: Not suiting up Tuesday
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Vanecek (lower body/illness) won't dress for Tuesday's game versus the Predators, Amanda Stein of the Devils' official site reports.
Nico Daws is starting in Nashville and Akira Schmid is the backup, leaving Vanecek out of action for a second straight game. It's unclear which issue is keeping Vanecek out this time, though the lower-body injury is likely of more concern than the illness even though both are expected to be short-term ailments. The 28-year-old's next chance to play is Thursday versus the Kings.
