(via the Caps)
It’s been a long time coming for Vitek Vanecek, 25, who was drafted in the second round in 2014 by Washington. He then played for the South Carolina Stingrays and Hershey Bears ever since, battled for a backup goalie position behind Ilya Samsonov, and got to start the second of a back-to-back game against Buffalo.
The Capitals, coming off a 6-4 win against the same team last night, didn’t help him much Friday, as they played sluggishly, took five penalties, and left him to fend for himself on occasions. But they still came away with a 2-1 victory.
Vanecek made 30 saves, only giving up one goal on a play that deflected off of Tom Wilson, as the Caps only put up 21 shots on goal.
“He won the game for us,” Nicklas Backstrom said after the game. Wilson gave him a shaving-cream pie to the face.
Oddly enough, Vanecek wasn’t named one of the stars of the game. Those honors went to Jakub Vrana, who had a goal, Lars Eller, and Buffalo’s Rasmus Ristolainen.
Congratulations to Vanecek. The Cobra-Kai headband of the game was well deserved.
🥧 @vitacz15 pic.twitter.com/YBaBQJjPMY
— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) January 16, 2021
Stopped 30 shots for his first career win.
Bravo, @vitacz15! 👏#ALLCAPS pic.twitter.com/zh7h6SjUtZ
— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) January 16, 2021
