Hockey Club's Karel Vejmelka: Extends win streak to four games
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Vejmelka stopped 28 of 29 shots in Friday's 2-1 win over the Wild.
Mats Zuccarello opened the scoring midway through the first period, but that was all the Wild could put past Vejmelka. Dylan Guenther provided the offense with both of Utah's goals, and Vejmelka protected the lead for the last 10 minutes of the third. He's won four starts in a row, giving up seven goals on 101 shots in that span. Vejmelka is at an 8-7-2 record with a 2.29 GAA and a .918 save percentage through 19 appearances this season. Utah's got a back-to-back up next -- they host the Ducks on Sunday and the Stars on Monday, so Vejmelka could start Monday's game if the team opts to play its top goalie against the stronger opponent.
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Hockey Club's Karel Vejmelka: First off ice Friday
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Vejmelka was the first goaltender off the ice at morning skate and is slated to patrol the visiting crease in Minnesota on Friday, Jessi Pierce of NHL.com reports.
Vejmelka has won three straight games, allowing only six goals on 72 shots (.917 save percentage). Overall, Vejmelka is 7-7-2 with a gaudy 2.37 GAA and a .915 save percentage this year. The Wild are averaging 3.06 goals per game in 2024-25, which is tied for 15th in the NHL.
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Hockey Club's Karel Vejmelka: Secures overtime win
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Vejmelka stopped 24 of 26 shots in Wednesday's 3-2 overtime win over the Canucks.
Utah trailed 2-0 early in the third period but rallied back with the help of Vejmelka preventing the Canucks from growing their lead. The 28-year-old goalie has won three straight and earned at least a standings point in five straight games. He improved to 7-7-2 with a 2.37 GAA and a .915 save percentage through 18 appearances this season. Connor Ingram (upper body) has not progressed in his recovery, so it's safe to assume Vejmelka will function as Utah's No. 1 goalie through at least the end of December. Utah visits Minnesota on Friday.
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Hockey Club's Karel Vejmelka: Slated to start Wednesday
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Vejmelka will patrol the home crease against Vancouver on Wednesday, according to Cole Bagley of KSL Sports.
Vejmelka has won his last two outings, stopping 42 of 46 shots. He has a 6-7-2 record with a 2.40 GAA and a .915 save percentage through 17 appearances this season. Vancouver ranks 12th in the league with 3.21 goals per game in 2024-25.
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Hockey Club's Karel Vejmelka: Fends off Sharks
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Vejmelka stopped 19 of 22 shots in Saturday's 4-3 win over the Sharks.
The Sharks twice took a one-goal lead, but Utah wouldn't let them pull away. Vejmelka held firm, and a pair of Utah goals in the third period lifted the team to a narrow win. This was the first time Vejmelka has earned wins in consecutive outings all season. He's now 6-7-2 with a 2.40 GAA and a .915 save percentage over 17 appearances. Utah's next game is at home Wednesday versus the Canucks. Connor Ingram (upper body) does not appear close to a return yet, so Vejmelka is likely to remain in the No. 1 role through the holiday break.
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Hockey Club's Karel Vejmelka: Guarding road goal
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Vejmelka is set to start on the road against San Jose on Saturday, per Belle Fraser of The Salt Lake Tribune.
Vejmelka has a 5-7-2 record, 2.36 GAA and .917 save percentage in 16 outings in 2024-25. He stopped 23 of 24 shots en route to a 4-1 victory over Colorado on Thursday. The Sharks rank 23rd in goals per game with 2.75.
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Hockey Club's Karel Vejmelka: Strong in win
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Vejmelka allowed a goal on 24 shots in Thursday's 4-1 win over the Avalanche.
Vejmelka bounced back from a rough shootout loss, keeping the Avalanche off the board until late in the third period in this contest. He's won two of his last three outings, and he's given up a modest nine goals over four starts in December. Vejmelka is up to 5-7-2 with a 2.36 GAA and a .917 save percentage over 16 appearances. Utah's next game is Saturday in San Jose.
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Hockey Club's Karel Vejmelka: Expected to start
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Vejmelka is expected to start on the road against Colorado on Thursday, per Cole Bagley of KSL Sports.
Vejmelka stopped 34 of 38 shots in a 5-4 shootout loss to Minnesota on Tuesday. He has a 4-7-2 record, 2.45 GAA and .915 save percentage in 15 appearances in 2024-25. Colorado ranks ninth in goals per game with 3.33, and the Avalanche are red hot, having won four of their past five games, so this is a difficult assignment for the 28-year-old netminder.
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Hockey Club's Karel Vejmelka: Loses in shootout
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Vejmelka gave up four goals on 38 shots in Tuesday's 5-4 shootout loss to the Wild.
Vejmelka twice let one-goal leads slip away, including giving up a game-tying goal to Marco Rossi in the final minute of regulation. Matt Boldy had the lone tally in the shootout to send Vejmelka to his third loss in four outings (1-1-2). He slipped to 4-7-2 with a 2.45 GAA and a .915 save percentage over 15 contests. The 28-year-old continues to fill in admirably for Connor Ingram (upper body), who will return to practice this week but is not considered close to drawing back into the lineup just yet. As such, expect Vejmelka between the pipes for a tough road matchup in Colorado on Thursday.
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Hockey Club's Karel Vejmelka: Slated to start Tuesday
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Vejmelka is expected to start in Tuesday's home game against the Wild, Belle Fraser of The Salt Lake Tribune reports.
Vejmelka will make his 15th appearance of the season Tuesday -- the 28-year-old is 4-7-1 with a .917 save percentage and a 2.35 GAA. The Wild are tied for first overall in the NHL with an 18-5-4 record. Vejmelka has a 3-3-0 record, 3.34 GAA and .898 save percentage in seven career games against Minnesota.
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Hockey Club's Karel Vejmelka: Great ratios opening eyes
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Kejmelka made 23 saves in a 5-2 win over Buffalo on Saturday.
He was beaten early on a redirection and late on a rebound. Other than that, Vejmelka shut the door. He doesn't have a lot of wins this season -- he's just 4-7-1 overall -- but Vejmelka sports a 2.35 GAA and a .917 save percentage despite that record. Connor Ingram (upper body) isn't close to a return, so the net is Vejmelka's. Given his strong play, it wouldn't be surprising to see Vejmelka push Ingram for starts once the veteran returns.
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Hockey Club's Karel Vejmelka: Makes 19 saves in loss Monday
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Vejmelka stopped 19 of 21 shots in Monday's 2-1 loss to the Stars.
Vejmelka has taken over the starting role for Utah due to the absence of Connor Ingram (upper body). Although he delivered a solid showing in this one, his performance wasn't enough to get the win since the offense didn't provide him enough support. Vejmelka has started in six of Utah's past seven games, going 2-3-1 with a 2.17 GAA and a .919 save percentage in that span.
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Hockey Club's Karel Vejmelka: Starting against Dallas
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Vejmelka will serve as the starting goaltender for Monday's home game against the Stars, Cole Bagley of KSL Sports reports.
Vejmelka didn't appear in Saturday's win over the Golden Knights, but he'll start in net for the sixth time in the last seven games Monday. Over 12 appearances this season, he's logged a 3-6-1 record, 2.40 GAA and .917 save percentage.
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Hockey Club's Karel Vejmelka: Loses in overtime
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Vejmelka stopped 28 of 32 shots in Friday's 4-3 overtime loss to the Oilers.
Vejmelka's four goals allowed were the most he's given up in a game since allowing five to the Avalanche on Oct. 24. The 28-year-old has started five games over the last nine days, so it's possible he's feeling a bit worn down. He's now 3-6-1 with a 2.41 GAA and a .917 save percentage over 12 appearances (10 starts) this season. Connor Ingram (upper body) won't be ready for Saturday's game in Vegas, and it's still possible Vejmelka starts on back-to-back days if Utah doesn't want to throw Jaxson Stauber into a tough matchup. Vejmelka split a road back-to-back last weekend, winning last Saturday in Pittsburgh before taking a narrow loss to the Maple Leafs a day later.
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Hockey Club's Karel Vejmelka: Light workload in win
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Vejmelka stopped 11 of 13 shots in Tuesday's 3-2 overtime win over the Canadiens.
Vejmelka's workload Tuesday was his lowest in a start this season, and that's likely a good thing since the Canadiens were efficient with their chances. Utah did well to keep the game tied until Mikhail Sergachev sealed the win at 4:33 of overtime. This was Vejmelka's third win over his last seven appearances, and he hasn't allowed more than three goals in any outing in that span. The Czech goalie is up to 3-6-0 with a 2.25 GAA and a .922 save percentage over 11 games this season. Vejmelka figures to continue handling No. 1 duties as long as Connor Ingram (upper body) is out of action.
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Hockey Club's Karel Vejmelka: Tending twine again Tuesday
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Vejmelka will guard the road goal against Montreal on Tuesday, per Belle Fraser of The Salt Lake Tribune.
After posting a 1-2-0 record with a .947 save percentage and a 1.70 GAA in his previous three outings, Vejmelka will start for the fourth time in six days in Tuesday's matchup. He has a 2-6-0 record with a 2.30 GAA and a .926 save percentage through 10 appearances this season. Montreal sits 19th in the league with 2.80 goals per game in 2024-25.
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Hockey Club's Karel Vejmelka: Can't sweep weekend back-to-back
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Vejmelka stopped 32 of 35 shots in Sunday's 3-2 loss to the Maple Leafs.
Vejmelka turned in another solid performance, but a three-goal second period from Toronto handed him his fourth loss in his last seven outings (2-4-0). The 28-year-old has given up just 13 goals on 210 shots in that span, good for a .925 save percentage. Vejmelka will fill the No. 1 role while Connor Ingram (upper body) is on injured reserve, and the fact that Vejmelka played both games of a back-to-back speaks volumes as to how little confidence Utah has in Jaxson Stauber. Consider Vejmelka likely to start again Tuesday in Montreal. He has a 2-6-0 record despite a 2.30 GAA and a .926 save percentage through 10 outings this season.
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Hockey Club's Karel Vejmelka: Between pipes again Sunday
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Vejmelka will guard the road net Sunday against the Maple Leafs, Belle Fraser of The Salt Lake Tribune reports.
After stopping 27 of 28 shots in a win over Pittsburgh on Saturday, Vejmelka will make a second start in as many days with Connor Ingram (upper body) still sidelined. The 28-year-old Vejmelka is 2-5-0 despite a strong .927 save percentage and 2.21 GAA this season.
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Hockey Club's Karel Vejmelka: Back in win column Saturday
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Vejmelka made 27 saves in Saturday's 6-1 win over the Penguins.
Sidney Crosby ruined his shutout bid with a second-period power-play goal, but Vejmelka still came away with his second win of the season, and first since Nov. 13. He's seeing a heavy workload with Connor Ingram (upper body) on the shelf, but Vejmelka is thriving under the pressure -- he's appeared in five straight games and posted a 1.77 GAA and .946 save percentage over that stretch.
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Hockey Club's Karel Vejmelka: Can't buy win despite strong play
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Vejmelka made 30 saves in a 1-0 loss to Boston on Thursday.
The loss wasn't on Vejmelka, who was sharp throughout and beaten just once on the power play. Utah is a fast team, but they looked slow against Boston which slowed the game down and clogged every lane. Utah has lost three straight games, and Vejmelka is 1-5-0 in six starts this season. His 2.37 GAA and .922 save percentage are excellent, though, so watch for his value to rise once his teammates start scoring a few more goals to support him.
