Devils 2, Bruins 1: Vanecek answered the bell

Vitek Vanecek was somewhat surprisingly named the starter against the Eastern Conference-leading Bruins – and he held up just fine.

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A few observations from New Jersey’s bounce-back win over Boston:

Vanecek answered the bell

I’ll be the first to admit I had reservations about Vitek Vanecek getting the nod in goal vs. the Bruins. He entered play dead last in Goals Saved Above Expected and was taking on the leading team in the Eastern Conference.

Giving him the nod in goal over Akira Schmid, who posted a positive GSAE in five of his past six appearances, seemed like an unnecessary risk given the trajectories each goaltender was on.

To Vanecek’s credit, he answered the bell and then some. The Bruins were missing a couple key players and by no means littered him with high-danger shots.

They didn’t open the Devils up on the counter attack, which has been a problem at times, and the Bruins only had a single power play opportunity. From those respects, the Devils didn’t ask a ton of him.

That being said, it wasn’t a complete walk in the park. The Bruins had a couple good chances early on and Vanecek held the fort, which had to be a big confidence boost for he and the team.

While it wasn’t the cleanest of performances – rebound control was an issue at times – Vanecek was able to keep fighting and make saves on second and third efforts. He also faced seven shots from David Pastrnak and held him off the board, which is an accomplishment in itself.

I don’t think anybody would consider last night’s game a goalie steal. Vanecek just made the saves he was supposed to and a couple extra. That was the difference in a 2-1 win and a 2-1 or 3-1 loss.

Vanecek has now posted a .900+ save percentage in back-to-back games, marking the first time all season I can say that. Let’s hope this is the beginning of Vanecek turning the corner and once again becoming a reliable platoon partner for Schmid.

A holiday miracle