Vitek Vanecek off to strong start with New Jersey Devils

The 26-year-old has posted a .933 save percentage over the course of the team's 11-game winning streak.

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By Alex Chauvancy (@AlexC_THW)

The New Jersey Devils are on an 11-game winning streak. You probably didn't need me to tell you that because this is a subscription-based website where you pay money to read about Jersey's team. But it feels good to read and hear. 

There are many reasons why the Devils have won 11 consecutive games. Jack Hughes has 16 points over that stretch, Nico Hischier looks like he could be a Selke candidate, and the Devils' team defense has shut teams down time and time again. 

It's been a team effort, but goaltending — yes, that thing that undermined the Devils a season ago — has been well above league average. That's mainly because of the play of Vitek Vanecek, who the Devils acquired from the Washington Capitals at the NHL Draft in July. 

Vanecek has been a stabilizing force during the winning streak, going 8-0-0 with a .933 save percentage. After a rough first start to his Devils tenure against the Detroit Red Wings, he's been everything the Devils could've asked for and then some. 

Vanecek a breath of fresh air after 2021-22

I don't want to rehash the Devils' goaltending struggles from a season ago. Everyone lived through it, but context is important to understand Vanecek's impact early on. So, I'm sorry, but I'm going to rehash it a bit. 

Injuries to Mackenzie Blackwood and Jonathan Bernier doomed the Devils before they had much chance to get their 2021-22 season going. They used seven goaltenders, and most of them struggled, other than Nico Daws, who showed promise in some of the starts he made. The result? The Devils finished with a .881 SV%, second-worst to the Seattle Kraken. 

General manager Tom Fitzgerald needed to do something, and that's where Vanecek came in. He wasn't a world-beater with the Capitals, as he posted a .908 SV% in each of his two seasons in Washington. However, it was above the league average of .903. If the Devils had gotten similar goaltending a season ago, they would've finished above NHL .500 and the narrative around the team would've been much different. 

Fast forward to this season and Vanecek has given the Devils much better than league-average netminding. As of this writing (much later on a Friday night than I should be writing), the league average SV% sits at .900. Vanecek's SV% for the season sits well above the league average at .916. 

At five-on-five, his numbers are close to what he posted with the Capitals a season ago. His five-on-five SV% of .929 ranks 16th among goalies with at least 200 minutes logged, and places him ahead of Ilya Sorokin, Igor Shesterkin and Ville Husso. His high-danger SV% of .809 is a bit low, but in his eight appearances during the team's 11-game run, it sits at .860. 

Since his first start against the Red Wings, Vanecek has been a top-15 goalie in the NHL. His goals saved above expected of 3.99 ranks 14th, while his goals saved above average of 5.06 ranks ninth, and his SV% of .928 is 11th-best. If the Devils got that kind of goaltending from anyone a year ago, they would've fought for a playoff spot. 

With that said, Vanecek is getting help from the team in front of him too. In an interview with All About the Jersey conducted by Tyler Bleszinski, Fitzgerald mentioned a couple of things. They're playing the same system they had the last couple of seasons in the defensive zone, but the Devils made some tweaks to their play in the neutral zone because of the number of goals they gave up. 

He also talked about commitment and how there are five guys on the ice committed to the system. When defensemen pinch up to keep offensive zone time alive, their forwards are backing up. Players are doing things they need to do away from the puck. 

In a piece from Greg Wyshysnski in ESPN yesterday, Fitzgerald capped off that general thinking with this 100 quote: 

"Our guys are playing very confident in front of him," Fitzgerald said. "If we don't give these [goalies] a s--- sandwich defensively, then all we're asking for them to do is just make the save. I think that's all that goalies care about. Don't expose us."

So far, that's true. The Devils rank second in shot attempts against, and scoring chances against per 60, and first in expected goals and high-danger chances against per 60. They've been the best defensive team in the league at five-on-five, which has made life a fair bit easier for Vanecek. 

Still, that shouldn't take away from his performance. He's playing well above league average and has been a top-half-of-the-league goaltender since his first start. He's making the saves he should be making, plus some that he shouldn't.

The key will be managing his workload while Blackwood recovers from an MCL sprain. But he's everything the Devils could've wanted from a goaltender this season.

He's not the sole reason they're on an 11-game heater, but it wouldn't be possible without him either. 

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Advanced stats from Natural Stat Trick, Evolving-Hockey