Schmaltz played through the injury in the Florida game but is not expected to play Thursday in Tampa according to head coach André Tourigny. The Coyotes are extremely banged up right now, so Barrett Hayton has been recalled from the AHL to take Schmaltz's places.
O'Brien had one shot and two hits in 11:43 TOI in the Coyotes loss on Saturday. Tonight he'll be replaced by Antoine Roussel.
Vanecek went 21-10-4 with a 2.69 GAA and .908 SV% in his rookie season with the Capitals. This offseason he was lost in the expansion draft but was re-acquired for a 2023 second-round pick after the Kraken signed Philipp Grubauer. Head coach Peter Laviolette said that Vanceck “separated himself a little bit” in training camp and that’s why he gets the nod on opening night.
Vanecek went 21-10-4 with a 2.69 GAA and .908 SV% in his rookie season with the Capitals. This offseason he was lost in the expansion draft but was re-acquired for a 2023 second-round pick after the Kraken signed Philipp Grubauer. Head coach Peter Laviolette said that Vanceck “separated himself a little bit” in training camp and that’s why he gets the nod on opening night.
Yamamoto had a terrific 27-game stretch in 2020 but failed to match that production in his first full season in 2021. Yamamoto scored just eight goals and 13 assists (21 points) in 52 games last year, playing almost exclusively with Leon Draisaitl. The lack of production led to Yamamoto getting a one-year bridge deal at $1.175M to prove he can bounce back before the Oilers commit to him with big dollars on a longer-term deal.
