Photo by All-Pro Reels, CC BY-SA 2.0
Vitek Vanecek
New York Islanders Goaltender #41
A .8834, in front of the same defence that made Sorokin look like an All-Star.
| Season | GP | W | L | OTL | GA | GAA | SO | SA | SV% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | 22 | 5 | 13 | 3 | 59 | 2.93 | 1 | 506 | .883 |
| Career | 210 | 101 | 69 | 24 | 555 | 2.84 | 11 | 5573 | .900 |
Last Season
Twenty-two appearances, 5-13-3, a 2.93 goals-against average and a .8834 save percentage with one shutout. His career figure across 210 games is .9004.
The Physical Game
Six foot two and 184, which is light, and the technique has never been the strong part. He is a reactive goaltender who relies on quickness rather than position, and the rebounds go to dangerous places.
Against a club that finished 28th in even-strength expected goals against and last in the league on the penalty kill, that combination is close to unplayable.
The Mental Game
Five wins in twenty-two appearances is a difficult year by any measure, and there is no evidence he handled it badly. He has been a starter in Washington and New Jersey and has settled into the backup role without fuss.
The Intangibles
The comparison inside one dressing room is the whole page. Behind the same defence, Sorokin stopped .9059 with seven shutouts and Vanecek stopped .8834 — a gap of twenty-three thousandths.
New York’s goaltending finished twenty goals better than the chances it faced, which is third-best in the league, and every one of those goals is Sorokin’s.
He is 30 with a career .9004. The league median among goaltenders with 25 or more games was .896, and he did not play enough to qualify. On this roster the backup barely plays, which is probably the correct arrangement.