{"id":133591,"date":"2022-11-25T12:36:21","date_gmt":"2022-11-25T17:36:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/?p=133591"},"modified":"2022-11-25T12:36:21","modified_gmt":"2022-11-25T17:36:21","slug":"new-jersey-devils-goalie-shows-improvement","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2022\/11\/25\/new-jersey-devils-goalie-shows-improvement\/","title":{"rendered":"New Jersey Devils Goalie Shows Improvement"},"content":{"rendered":"

Last season, the New Jersey Devils<\/a> ran seven goaltenders through the blue paint. Mackenzie Blackwood<\/a>, Scott Wedgewood<\/a>, Nico Daws<\/a>, Jon Gillies<\/a>, Andrew Hammond<\/a>, Akira Schmid<\/a>, and Jonathan Bernier<\/a> all put in minutes for the Devils. However, none put up the performance the team was looking for in trying to become a contender. The position was the number one priority or improvement for the Devils, and they made important moves during the offseason to attempt to upgrade in the net. Adding Vitek Vanecek<\/a> and his goaltending from the Washington Capitals<\/a>\u00a0has been the right answer so far.<\/span><\/p>\n

Vitek Vanecek<\/a> Improves Goaltending\u00a0\u00a0<\/b><\/h2>\n

When Vanecek first joined the Devils<\/a>, the assumption was that he would be playing capable backup to Blackwood. The was similar to his role on the Washington Capitals<\/a> when he was playing behind Ilya Samsonov<\/a>. However, Blackwood\u2019s injury-riddled career continued. This culiinated with the Devils announcing that Blackwood would be out 4-6 weeks<\/a> following an MCL sprain on November 8th.<\/span><\/p>\n

Embed from Getty Images<\/a>