Vanecek allowed five goals on 17 shots before being pulled from New Jersey's 6-1 loss to Carolina in Game 4 on Tuesday.
Vanecek was pulled after allowing a marker to Brent Burns midway through the second period. Akira Schmid stepped in and saved 11 of 12 shots the rest of the way. Vanecek has a 4.64 GAA and an .825 save percentage in seven playoff contests this year. Given his struggles, it wouldn't be surprising to see Akira Schmid start in Game 5 on Thursday.
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Devils' Vitek Vanecek: Set to start Tuesday
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Vanecek will protect the home goal in Tuesday's Game 4 versus the Hurricanes, Mike Morreale of NHL.com reports.
Vanecek picked up his first win in six playoff appearances when he stopped 26 of 30 shots in Sunday's Game 3. That wasn't exactly a convincing performance, but it was enough to earn him another starting nod. The 27-year-old has a 4.02 GAA and an .845 save percentage this postseason.
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Devils' Vitek Vanecek: Grabs first win of the playoffs
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Vanecek stopped 26 of 30 shots in Sunday's 8-4 win over the Hurricanes in Game 3.
Vanecek was certainly aided by New Jersey's offense in Sunday's victory, grabbing the win in his first start since Game 3 of the Devils' opening-round series against the Rangers. The 27-year-old Vanecek is now 1-2-0 with a subpar .845 save percentage in the playoffs. Still, there's a good chance the Devils will turn back to Vanecek in Game 4 after he replaced Akira Schmid in the first two games of the series and won Game 3.
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Devils' Vitek Vanecek: Tending twine Sunday
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Vanecek will get the starting nod for Sunday's Game 3 matchup at home against the Hurricanes, Amanda Stein of the Devils' official site reports.
Vanecek will make his first start since Game 2 of the first round against the Rangers. He's stopped 18 of 21 shots in two relief appearances this series and will now be leaned on to bring the Devils back from a 2-0 deficit. In five appearances this postseason, Vanecek is 0-2 with an .836 save percentage.
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Devils' Vitek Vanecek: Allows two goals in relief
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Vanecek stopped eight of 10 shots in relief in a 6-1 loss to Carolina in Game 2 on Friday.
Vanecek came into the contest for the start of the third period after Akira Schmid surrendered four goals on 25 shots. Vanecek wasn't charged with the loss, so his playoff record is still at 0-2 this year. He also has a 4.03 GAA and an .836 save percentage through five postseason outings. Even though Vanecek has struggled, he might start Sunday given that Schmid was pulled from each of the first two games of the second-round series.
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Devils' Vitek Vanecek: Makes 10 stops in relief
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Vanecek stopped 10 of 11 shots in relief against the Hurricanes in Wednesday's 5-1 Game 1 loss.
Vanecek entered early in the second period after the third goal against Akira Schmid, who was charged with the loss. Schmid has all four of New Jersey's wins this postseason, but both goalies are realistic options to start Game 2 on Friday.
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Devils' Vitek Vanecek: Briefly in net Saturday
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Although Vanecek didn't face a shot, he was briefly in net during New Jersey's 5-2 loss to the Rangers in Game 6 on Saturday.
With the Devils down 5-1 after Braden Schneider scored midway through the third frame, starter Akira Schmid was replaced by Vanecek. The Devils soon pulled Vanecek too in favor of the extra attacker, so the goaltender logged only 2:18 of ice time. The 27-year-old wasn't charged with the loss and has a 0-2 record, 4.43 GAA and .827 save percentage in three playoff appearances this year. Although Schmid struggled Saturday, he has been great overall in the first round, so it wouldn't be surprising to see him start over Vanecek in Game 7 on Monday.
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Devils' Vitek Vanecek: No chance for rebound
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Vanecek made 25 saves in a 5-1 loss to the Rangers on Thursday in Game 2.
Vanecek had hoped to rebound from a poor outing Tuesday in Game 1, but that didn't happen. The Devils had to kill 10 penalties (two PPG allowed), so the team simply couldn't muster much momentum or flow. So Vanecek had far more pressure on him than one person should have. He will need to be near-perfect heading into Madison Square this weekend for Game 3.
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Devils' Vitek Vanecek: Looking to rebound in Game 2
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Vanecek will protect the home goal in Thursday's Game 2 versus the Rangers.
Vanecek struggled in Game 1, surrendering four goals on 22 shots in a 5-1 loss. The Devils will need the 27-year-old to recapture his regular-season form, which saw him post a 2.45 GAA and a .911 save percentage over 52 games, to avoid heading to Broadway down 2-0 in the series.
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Devils' Vitek Vanecek: Gives up four in Game 1 loss
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Vanecek stopped 18 of 22 shots in Tuesday's 5-1 Game 1 loss to the Rangers.
Vanecek probably should have had the short-side Ryan Lindgren goal that made it 3-0 in the second period, but it's hard to blame him for any of the Rangers' other markers. New York blitzed New Jersey early with two goals in the first 10 minutes, and the Devils never really had a chance after that, with Filip Chytil's empty-netter putting an exclamation point on the Rangers' performance. Vanecek wasn't the problem in Game 1, so he'll likely be back behind the pipes over Mackenzie Blackwood for Game 2 on Thursday.
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Devils' Vitek Vanecek: Slated to start
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Per Amanda Stein of the Devils' official site, Vanecek is on track to guard the home goal in Tuesday's Game 1 versus the Rangers.
Vanecek ended the regular season on a high note, stringing together three straight wins while posting an impressive 1.33 GAA and .949 save percentage. He'll try to secure his second career playoff victory in a home matchup with a Rangers team that averaged 3.24 goals per game on the road during the regular season, 11th in the NHL.
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Devils' Vitek Vanecek: Will be scratched Thursday
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Vanecek (rest) won't dress for Thursday's game against Washington, according to Tom Gulitti of NHL.com.
The Devils are expected to lean heavily on Vanecek during the playoffs, so they're giving him a breather before the postseason starts. Mackenzie Blackwood will be in net Thursday while Akira Schmid, who was summoned from AHL Utica, will serve as the backup goaltender. Vanecek will finish the regular season with a 33-11-4 record, 2.45 GAA and .911 save percentage through 52 outings.
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Devils' Vitek Vanecek: Sharp again in win
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Vanecek stopped 36 of 38 shots in Tuesday's 6-2 win over the Sabres.
Vanecek delivered another strong performance Tuesday, allowing two goals on 38 shots en route to a third consecutive win. The 27-year-old netminder has allowed just four goals during those three games as he improves to 33-11-4 with a .911 save percentage this season. Vanecek could make one more start in the Devils' season finale Thursday against the Capitals.
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Devils' Vitek Vanecek: Exits ice first
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Vanecek was the first goalie off the ice Tuesday, Mike Morreale of NHL.com reports, indicating he'll guard the crease at home versus the Sabres.
Vanecek has posted a 3-2-0 record with a 2.16 GAA and a .917 save percentage in his last five contests. In each of the netminder's victories, he has given up just one goal and will look to carry that momentum forward into Tuesday's clash with Buffalo. With the postseason around the corner, it's possible that Mackenzie Blackwood starts the regular-season finale versus Washington on Thursday before Vanecek takes over as the primary backstop for the playoffs.
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Devils' Vitek Vanecek: Solid in victory
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Vanecek stopped 16 of 17 shots, leading the Devils to an 8-1 victory over the Blue Jackets on Thursday.
Vanecek had a solid outing Thursday, giving up only a goal to Joona Luoto to help New Jersey to an 8-1 win. This marks back-to-back victories and three in his last four starts for Vanecek, who's allowed just one goal in all three of those wins. On the season, the former Capital has a 32-11-4 record with a 2.46 GAA and a .910 save percentage.
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Devils' Vitek Vanecek: Facing Blue Jackets
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Vanecek will guard the home goal versus the Blue Jackets on Thursday, Amanda Stein of the Devils' official site reports.
Vanecek has alternated wins and losses over his last four games, giving up nine goals in that span. He's got one of the most favorable matchups available for Thursday, so he projects as a strong fantasy play.
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Devils' Vitek Vanecek: Stops 22 in win
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Vanecek stopped 22 of 23 shots in Tuesday's 5-1 win over the Penguins.
Vanecek kept Pittsburgh off the board until Bryan Rust's tally 6:14 into the third period, earning a 5-1 win. It was a solid bounce-back performance from Vanecek, who allowed four goals in a loss to Winnipeg on Sunday. The 27-year-old netminder improves to 31-11-4 with a .909 save percentage this season.
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Devils' Vitek Vanecek: Starting Tuesday
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Vanecek will defend the home net Tuesday against Pittsburgh, Amanda Stein of the Devils' official site reports.
Vanecek surrendered four goals on 21 shots in Sunday's 6-1 loss to Winnipeg prior to getting pulled after the second period. He has a 30-11-4 record this season with a 2.52 GAA and a .908 save percentage in 49 appearances. The Penguins rank 17th in the league this campaign with 3.21 goals per game.
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Devils' Vitek Vanecek: Pulled in loss to Jets
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Vanecek allowed four goals on 21 shots before being pulled in Sunday's 6-1 loss to Winnipeg.
Vanecek was in net for the first two periods, surrendering a pair of goals during each frame. Mackenzie Blackwood replaced him for the third frame. Vanecek's struggles Sunday were in stark contrast to his previous start Thursday, during which he saved 24 of 25 shots en route to a 2-1 victory over the Rangers. The 27-year-old was charged with the loss Sunday, dropping him to 30-11-4 with a 2.52 GAA and a .908 save percentage in 49 outings this season.
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Devils' Vitek Vanecek: Tending twine Sunday
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Vanecek will get the starting nod in Winnipeg on Sunday, Amanda Stein of the Devils' official site reports.
Vanecek yielded just one goal in Thursday's win against the Rangers to snap a three-game skid. He's now 30-10-4 with a 2.47 GAA and a .910 save percentage through 48 appearances. The 27-year-old has yet to lose to a Western Conference team in regulation this season; Vanecek is 14-0-3 with a .913 save percentage against Western teams.
