Connor Ingram's recent injury gives Karel Vejmelka a chance to reestablish himself as a starting goaltender and prove his worth for the Coyotes.
With Connor Ingram out for 7-10 days, it will be the Karel Vejmelka show in net for the Arizona Coyotes over the next week or so.
Vejmelka was the Coyotes’ starting goaltender through the previous two seasons, but this year has been a little bit of a different story.
The emergence of Ingram on top of Vejmelka’s unsteady play has led to a switch in coach André Tourigny’s goaltending strategy.
Ingram has started 33 games compared to Vejmelka’s 19 while he is also better in practically every single statistical category.
However, ever since the All-Star break Vejmelka has slowly started to find his game again and now has an opportunity to seize the starting goaltending position once again.
“He is on a good streak, he played well the two games he’s been involved in and he has every reason to feel good about himself,” Tourigny said. “I think he has an opportunity to be the guy, so I think he sees it in a positive way and he is the ultimate teammate. He knows what he needs, so he will be there for us.”
Through 23 games, Vejmelka has a 6-12-2 record, 3.36 goals against average and .900 save percentage.
The confidence of the 27-year-old is clearly beginning to grow from where he was just a few weeks ago and it couldn’t come at a more perfect time with his team now relying on him in a substantial way.
Matt Villalta was called up from the Tucson Roadrunners of the American Hockey League to be the backup goalie, but there is no doubt that it will be Vejmelka who will ultimately carry the heavy workload until Ingram returns.
The Coyotes are currently on a seven-game losing streak and are quickly slipping out of the Western Conference wild card race, so there will be a lot of pressure on Vejmelka to keep the team afloat and help them get out of this rut.
This stretch will be a chance for Vejmelka to reestablish himself as a reliable starting goaltender and who knows, maybe it is the start of his comeback to prominence.