Karel Vejmelka

Last Season

Sixty-four appearances — among the heaviest workloads in the league — 38-20-3, a 2.75 goals-against average and a .8961 save percentage with two shutouts.

His career figure across 262 games is .8987.

Over his last ten appearances, .879 on 223 shots.

The Physical Game

Six foot four, 221, and he plays a big, calm, positional game. He is square and patient and does not chase, and the size covers a good deal of the low ice without him having to move to it.

The puckhandling is better than average and useful on a club that gets forechecked less than most.

Rebound control is the weakest part and it is where the goals come from.

The Mental Game

He was a career backup in the Czech league until 25, arrived in Arizona to play behind one of the worst rosters in the league, and has now had two consecutive seasons of thirty-plus wins.

The Intangibles

Utah conceded 163 goals at five-on-five against an expected 156.8 — its goaltending finished six goals worse than the chances it faced, on a club that was 53.1 per cent in both attempts and expected goals.

That is the whole story of this team. They out-chance opponents comfortably, they finish seven goals better than expected, and they give six of it back in their own net.

Thirty-eight wins on a .8961 is a team result, not a goaltending one.

He is 30, and the difference between Utah being a playoff club and a good one is about fifteen goals of netminding.