Sharknado VI: Vanecek, Sturm Impress in Florida Panthers Debut

SUNRISE — It had been three months since Vitek Vanecek won a game in the NHL. Yet, the Florida Panthers had so much confidence in him that, the same day they traded for him, he was already filled in as Saturday’s starter against the Sabres.

Bold move, Cotton.

It certainly worked out.

Sergei Bobrovsky’s new backup looked a lot like, well, Bobrovsky, on Saturday night.

Venecek stopped a couple of early breakaways from the Sabres and skated off his new ice with fans chanting his name.

The Panthers beat the Sabres 4-0 on Saturday, Vanecek stopping all 21 shots he faced to help extend Florida’s winning streak to six straight.

For a fellow who had not won a game since Nov. 29 — Vanecek’s game was right as Thanksgiving dinner.

Or, as good as Thanksgiving leftovers.

Your call on that one.

“He made some big saves to keep us in the game,” said Anton Lundell, who has seen some good goaltending in his days with the Panthers.

“It’s always to fun to play in front of a guy who plays like that. We tried to help him as much as we could. Just a great team win for us, again. I think we just picked up from the last one.’’

Vanecek had won only three games for the — we will call it ‘rebuilding,’ San Jose Sharks — before being traded to the Panthers.

He only came south to replace the already-traded Spencer Knight.

Although some fans are still shouting ‘Knight!’ during the national anthem despite Spencer now spending his nights off Lake Michigan, many were chanting a variation of Vanecek’s name as the night went on.

He dug it, as Knight did during his time with the Panthers.

“I heard it twice,’’ Vanecek said when asked about fans chanting his name.

“That was really beautiful. The fans are great here. It’s my first game, but I’ve played a couple of times in this building, so I know that they have always been great.”

If personality is indication, Vanecek is about to become a fan favorite.

Moreso if he keeps playing like this.

Vanecek was not alone in his struggles with the Sharks, but he has been good against the Panthers and, over the years, against the Sabres (now 11-2-1) during his time with Washington and New Jersey.

Saturday, Florida took a 1-0 lead on a Nate Schmidt shot that slipped through the skates of Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen and swept through by A.J. Greer.

A similar shot from Schmidt late in the second got knocked home by Lundell to make it 3-0 and that was all they wrote.

Buffalo, which was shorthanded, gave up the ghost in this one, leaving only Sam Bennett to bang home an empty-netter to end it.

Vanecek is the third goalie in franchise history (Chris Driedger in 2019, Jose Theodore in 2011) to record a shutout in his first game with the Panthers.

Coincidentally, Vanecek replaced Driedger as Bobrovsky’s backup.

Strange things going on with the Panthers these days.

Next thing you know, they’ll trade for Boston Bruins captain Brad Marchand.

Nah.

Regardless, both Vanecek and Nico Sturm have come from the basement to the penthouse of the NHL standings after being traded to the Panthers from San Jose — and could not have enjoyed this win more.

“I was nervous, you know, a new team and all that,’’ said Sturm, who centered the fourth line and looked like he had been there all season.

“I can’t imagine what it was like for a goalie. You can’t hide out there or anything. I think, for him, to make a couple of saves right away got his confidence up. He showed he can be a very capable goalie in this league.’’

The Florida Panthers, defensively, are one of the top teams in the league.

They also are at the top in other metrics.

Saturday, Florida became the 11th team in NHL history to allow one goal in a four-game span.

Bobrovsky gave up one goal in wins against Calgary, Tampa Bay, and Columbus before Vanecek got his first start following Knight being traded to Chicago in the Seth Jones deal a week before.

Vanecek proved Saturday that maybe he wasn’t the problem in San Jose.

His numbers looked horrible, sure, but the Panthers and their top-notch goalie team certainly saw something they really liked.

Those social media warriors had to their devices away at least for a little while.

The Panthers really like Vanecek.

“It’s tough, if you play on a team that gives up 30-plus shots every night,’’ Sturm said, trying to be as diplomatic as he could after spending three seasons in San Jose.

“Even if you have a great night, you give up a lot of goals. It’s tough to look good, you know, as bad as it sounds. I am so happy for him, and I think his confidence is going to rise from here on out.’’

ON DECK: GAME No. 65

FLORIDA PANTHERS at BOSTON BRUINS

• When: Tuesday, 7 p.m.
• Where: Boston Garden
• Local TV: Scripps Sports — WSFL 39 (Miami/FTL); WPTV 5/WHDT 9 (WPB); LAFF 36.3 (SWFla)
• Streaming: Panthers+, ESPN+
• Radio: WPOW 96.5-FM2; WBZT 1230-AM (Palm Beach); WCTH 100.3-FM (Florida Keys); SiriusXM
• Panthers Radio Streaming: SiriusXM 932, NHL App
• Betting Odds — Panthers Favored: Money Line (-180); Puck line (-1.5, +130); Over/Under 5.5 (-115/-105)
• This Season (Panthers Lead 2-1) — At Florida: Panthers 6, Bruins 4 (Oct. 8); Bruins 4, Panthers 3 (OT) Jan. 11. At Boston: Panthers 4, Bruins 3 (Oct. 14); Tuesday.
• Last Regular Season: Bruins Won 4-0
• Last Postseason: Panthers Won ECS 4-2
• All-time Regular Season Series: Boston leads 65-39-7, 6 ties
• All-time Postseason Series: Florida leads 3-0 (1996 1st, 2023 1st, 2024 2nd)
• Up Next for the Panthers: Thursday at Toronto Maple Leafs, 7 p.m.