With Karel Vejmelka starting to find his game, it may be beneficial for the Coyotes to split starts between their two goaltenders while they are both hot.
Should the Arizona Coyotes revert back to their original goaltending strategy of splitting starts between Connor Ingram and Karel Vejmelka.
Through the first ten games of the season, both Ingram and Vejmelka were playing well as the two were rotating in net each game.
However, eventually Vejmelka went cold, losing eight straight games while Ingram thrived. He started and won multiple games in a row and his hot play led to him taking over the starting goalie job temporarily.
Now, Vejmelka is coming off of a shutout win on Saturday night and when Ingram gave up three quick goals during Tuesday night’s game in the first period, Vejmelka came in where he did not let up any goals, helping the Coyotes overcome a three-goal deficit against the Ottawa Senators.
Through Ingram’s hot stretch, coach André Tourigny said that the Coyotes will need to rely on both of their goaltenders and that although Ingram may be playing better at one point the tables may eventually turn in Vejmelka’s favor.
After some struggles to start the season, Vejmelka seems to have finally found his game so while he is hot, it might be beneficial to give Vejmelka starts without completely getting Ingram out of rhythm.
If both goalies are playing solid hockey, it’s a perfect scenario for Arizona as they will be able to get the necessary rest to stay sharp and still start a sufficient amount of games.
Tourigny has never truly named a starting goalie and he clearly has trust in both Ingram and Vejmelka to both play major roles for this team.
It’s still unclear if Tourigny will go back to the original goaltending strategy but if he sticks by his word, he should entrust both Ingram and Vejmelka while they are playing at a high level.