Vanecek joined the Florida Panthers and the trade deadline last season and served as the backup to Sergei Bobrovsky during the run to a Stanley Cup Championship. The 29-year-old Czech goalie has battled consistency over the previous few seasons and will hope to emerge as a reliable option for the Utah Mammoth in 2025-25.
The Panthers will turn to Vanecek between the pipes on Tuesday in their final game of the regular season, facing off against the Tampa Bay Lightning in a potential first-round playoff preview. The 29-year-old Vanecek played well in his most recent outing, saving 26 of 28 shots (.929 SV%) in a 3-2 shootout win over the Buffalo Sabres. The Czech netminder has a 2.66 GAA and .900 SV% in six games with Florida this season (2-3-1). The Panthers enter Tuesday's contest as +168 road underdogs against the Lightning.
The Panthers are coming off a 4-2 loss to the Montreal Canadiens on Sunday and will hope for a better result, with Vanecek tending the twine in a rematch on Tuesday. Vanecek has showcased mixed results early in his three-game tenure as a Panther (1-2-0), including a 21-save shutout in his first contest and allowing six goals on 33 shots (.818 SV%) in his most recent. The Panthers enter Tuesday's contest as -168 road favorites against a Canadiens team that has lost five of their last six (1-3-2).
Vanecek is expected to make his Panthers debut on Saturday after being acquired from the Sharks on Wednesday. Vanecek has struggled this season, going 3-10-3 with a. 3.88 GAA and .882 SV% while playing behind one of the worst teams in the league. He goes from San Jose, who is last in the league in xGA/60 (3.50) to Florida who ranks fifth (2.76). He's a solid streaming option on Saturday with the Panthers being -254 home favourites.
The Sharks opted not to play Vanecek on Tuesday in anticipation of a trade, which was realized on Wednesday morning, sending him to Florida in exchange for Patrick Giles. Vanecek posted an unimpressive 3.88 GAA and .882 SV% in 18 games with the Sharks this season (3-10-3). Though he will be predominantly backing up Sergei Bobrovsky, Vanecek should see an improvement in his statistics on a much stronger Florida team.
Despite being in the tail end of a back-to-back, the Sharks will turn to Georgiev between the pipes on Tuesday, keeping Vitek Vanecek sidelined for trade-related reasons. The 29-year-old Vanecek has a 3.88 GAA and .882 SV% in 18 appearances this season (3-10-3).
On the tail end of a back-to-back, the Sharks will turn to Vanecek between the pipes on Monday against the Winnipeg Jets. The 29-year-old Vanecek had a forgetful final outing before the break for the 4Nations Face Off, allowing eight goals on 34 shots (.765 SV%) in an 8-3 loss to the Dallas Stars. He has an ugly 4.01 GAA and .878 SV% in 16 appearances this season (3-9-2). The Sharks enter Monday's contest as significant +393 road underdogs against a Jets squad amid a nine-game winning streak.
Vanecek has not played an NHL game since suffering an upper-body injury on December 14th but will return to the crease on Thursday against the Vancouver Canucks. In a brief conditioning stint with the San Jose Barracuda (AHL), Vanecek posted a 2.00 GAA and .917 SV% in one game (1-0-0). He has a 3.84 GAA and .885 SV% in 14 appearances with the Sharks this season (3-8-1). The Sharks enter Thursday's contest as +182 home underdogs against a Canucks squad coming off an impressive 3-0 win over the Colorado Avalanche.
Vanecek has not played an NHL game since suffering an upper-body injury on December 14th but will likely return to the crease on Thursday against the Vancouver Canucks. In a brief conditioning stint with the San Jose Barracuda (AHL), Vanecek posted a 2.00 GAA and .917 SV% in one game (1-0-0). He has a 3.84 GAA and .885 SV% in 14 appearances with the Sharks this season (3-8-1). The Sharks enter Thursday's contest as +182 home underdogs against a Canucks squad coming off an impressive 3-0 win over the Colorado Avalanche.
Vanecek has not played since suffering an upper-body injury on December 14th and will spend some time in the AHL on a conditioning stint with the San Jose Barracuda. Before his injury, the 29-year-old Czech netminder was sporting a 3.84 GAA and .885 SV% in 14 appearances (3-8-1).
Vanecek was hit by an arrant puck while on the bench last Tuesday and has not suited up since. The Sharks recalled Yaroslav Askarov from the San Jose Barracuda (AHL), who has played two games for the Sharks since Vanecek's injury.
