McKenna’s Matchup of the Day: Dec. 16 – Ilya Sorokin vs. Karel Vejmelka

Former NHL netminder Mike McKenna provides his Daily Faceoff Starting Goalie Matchup of the Day for Fri. Dec. 16, 2022:

Why I like this matchup:

Ilya Sorokin and Karel Vejmelka both rank top-five in moneypuck.com’s goals saved above expected metric: an accurate assessment of how valuable each goaltender has been.

What to watch for:

Two things: Sorokin can snap his four-game losing streak in goal for the Islanders. And if Vejmelka can steal yet another win for the Coyotes.

For me, Sorokin has been the NHL’s best goaltender during the 2022-23 season. Arguments can be made for other netminders around the league, but Sorokin has outplayed his Islanders team by quite a wide margin this year. To win the Vezina trophy, the Islanders have to make the Stanley Cup playoffs. And right now they’re close to falling out of the race.

I think Sorokin is one of the most in-control goaltenders in the world. He’s rarely on his back or stomach. And he plays within his posts – much like Vejmelka. The Coyotes’ backstop has done a fantastic job adapting to the North American game despite playing behind a rebuilding Arizona lineup.

Vejmelka owns a 16.3 goals saved above expected rating in 20 games. That means he’s making almost one extra save per night. He’s leading all NHL goaltenders in the category. Posting a .913 save percentage against one of the highest workloads in the NHL isn’t easy, especially for a sophomore netminder. With a cap hit of $2.725 million through the 2024-25 season, Vejmelka is a steal for the Coyotes.

What fantasy owners should do:

As good as Vejmelka’s advanced stats are, they don’t help fantasy owners in any category outside of shots. So I always find starting Vejmelka to be a gamble. Sorokin, on the other hand, is a lock to start for fantasy teams. Especially against Arizona.

Bottom line for Ilya Sorokin:

His losing streak should end if he can keep the Coyotes to two or fewer goals.

Bottom line for Karel Vejmelka:

Seven games in a row he’s allowed three or more goals. The challenge is making one extra save.