With the recent play of Arizona Coyotes goaltender Connor Ingram, he has started back-to-back games and has impressed.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!Only giving up one goal on 65 shots in their last two victories against the Vegas Golden Knights and Tampa Bay Lightning, Ingram looks like he may slowly become the No. 1 goalie in the valley.
But, does that mean that going forward, will he or Karel Vejmelka will be the go-to-guy for Arizona?
The Debate
Currently, Ingram has a stat line of 8-3 with a 2.49 goals-against-average and .924 save-percentage.
With those numbers, Ingram is ranked eighth in the entire NHL in wins and GAA for goaltenders.
Earlier on, Ingram became the third goalie in Coyotes history to have a five-game winning streak since Darcy Kuemper did in 2018-19 and Antti Raanta 2017-18.
Additionally, his last loss to the St. Louis Blues on Nov. 22 was when he replaced Vejmelka.
Following Vejmelka giving up 4 goals on only 11 shots, the Blues scored twice on 20 attempts on Ingram in relief.
Since the score was tied 5-5 when Ingram was in net, St. Louis forward Kevin Hayes’ eventual game-winning goal in the third period handed Ingram the loss.
Regardless, Ingram was able to string together his second shutout of the season, 2-0 against the reigning Stanley Cup Champions in Vegas on Nov. 25.
Then, Coyotes head coach André Tourigny broke the 50/50 split between starting Vejmelka and Ingram as Ingram was in the crease for the second game in a row last vs. Tampa.
At Mullett Arena last night, Ingram only gave up one goal to Lightning center Brayden Point who had 52 goals last year.
As for Vejmelka, he has had a rough go to the season compared to what he has done in the past.
Currently, the Czech native has posted a 2-6-2 record, .892 save-percentage and a 3.45 GAA.
Starting 2-1 on the year, Vejmelka is winless in his last eight games that he has patrolled Arizona’s crease.
However, Vejmelka was able to maintain a .900 save-percentage despite going 18-24-6 last year.
Being the Coyotes starter for the past two campaigns, Vejmelka has the experience and could very well bounce back to his best.
It will be interesting to see who gets the nod by Tourigny in Arizona’s next game against the Colorado Avalanche on Nov. 29 as it will tell what the plan going forward in net is.
Does Tourigny go with who has the hot hand in Ingram or return to Vejmelka?
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Alec Cipollini is a reporter of the Arizona Coyotes and Cardinals for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on his X account @AlecCipollini
