Vitek Vanecek Helps New Jersey Devils Get Big Win Over Blackhawks

You know that when multiple players have multiple points, but neither of them is the first star of the game, the goaltender had to have played amazingly. That was the case for Vitek Vanecek against the Chicago Blackhawks for the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday night.

Yeah, Jack Hughes had two assists, Dougie Hamilton had three points (1-2-3), and both Nico Hischier and Jesper Bratt scored a goal, but the story was the 24 shots on goal that Vitek Vanecek saved without letting one get past him. It was an amazing day.

We know that Vanecek has been amazing. He is still so early in his career, and now he is starting to blossom into the goalie that we all thought he’d become with the Washington Capitals. Luckily, the Devils have him now.

The Blackhawks aren’t very good. They are terrible, in fact. That doesn’t mean guys like Patrick Kane and Max Domi won’t have their chances. He needed to make some great saves at times, and he always did. As a result, they won the game 3-0.

The New Jersey Devils pulled out a big win over the Chicago Blackhawks.

On the other side of the rink, Arvid Soderblom got the start for the Chicago Blackhawks. He was amazing for them too. He allowed three goals, but he made 26 saves to try and give his team a chance to win.

He will be very good one day, but the Hawks played poorly in front of him. Most of the Devils’ chances were of the high-danger variety, which is why Soderblom deserves almost as much praise as Vanecek. The difference is that one found a way to save them all, but Soderblom will get there one day.

Seeing Dougie Hamilton have three points in front of Vanecek is a breath of fresh air. He was so good before coming to New Jersey, but his first year was tough. Now, he looks like the healthy Hamilton we knew before his Devils’ tenure.

Jack Hughes continued his dominance as well with the aforementioned two assists. He is now up to 31 points in 26 games played for New Jersey. His quest for 100 points seems very possible at this point of the season. Hischier and Bratt should be happy with their games as well.

All of these skaters took steps forward in 2022-23, but the clear thing helping the Devils rise to the top is that great goaltending.

We will see what the future holds for Akira Schmid and Mackenzie Blackwood, but the net rightfully belongs to Vanecek right now. Hopefully, they can all keep it up.