Screencap: @Capitals
On Monday, Washington Capitals goaltender Vitek Vanecek spoke to the media following morning skate. He discussed getting back into action after a conditioning loan to the AHL’s Hershey Bears.
Vanecek was recalled Monday morning back to the Capitals. During the conditioning stint with the Bears, he stopped 21 of 23 shots in the 3-1 loss to the Utica Comets on Sunday. “Tried to get back, you know? It’s always hard when you [lose],” Vanecek said. He noted that he’s been “practicing and practicing” to “get back for sure.”
Vitek Vanecek leads em' out! This will be his first game since Feb 1, when he was injured in the first period against the Penguins. #ALLCAPS #HBH pic.twitter.com/pLu7PT2nol
— NoVa Caps (@NoVa_Caps) February 27, 2022
Vanecek admitted that the first two periods of Sunday’s game “were a little bit hard,” but “it wasn’t too bad,” saying, “I felt good in the game, so I’m happy for that…I started feeling better in the third period.”
The conditioning stint resulted after Vanecek suffered an injury in the first period of the game against the Pittsburgh Penguins on February 1. “Sometimes it’s longer, sometimes it’s not,” he said on the recovery process. “The body will tell you.”
“It was really nice,” he said on being back in Hershey. “The fans remember me and it was really fun.”
“Vitek” chants return to Hershey. #HBH #ALLCAPS pic.twitter.com/Wt7fY8qdSx
— Capitals Prospects (@jon_m_sorensen) February 27, 2022
The 26-year-old has posted a record of 10-6-5, with two shutouts, a 2.39 goals-against average and a .915 save percentage this season. In January, Vanecek went 4-2-0, which included two shutouts and .929 goals-against average. “I try to help [the] team as much as possible. Winning the games is always fun. Losing is not fun, so I’m hoping I will be back soon and do the same thing.”
By Della Young
