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Capitals re-assign goaltender Zach Fucale to Hershey

By Chris Cerullo

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January 11, 2022 11:14 am

The Washington Capitals announced Tuesday morning that goaltender Zach Fucale has been re-assigned to the Hershey Bears.

Fucale’s most recent spell in DC saw him make two starts and have three total appearances. He started off by relieving Ilya Samsonov in St. Louis and then started two games in a row against the Wild and Bruins.

He was pulled from his latest start against the Bruins after allowing four goals on 16 shots. Heading into the game he was the NHL leader in both goals-against average and save percentage.

On the season in the NHL, Fucale now sports a 1-1-1 record with a 1.75 goals-against average and a .924-save percentage. According to MoneyPuck, he has saved 2.4 more goals than expected which is the best mark of the three Caps goaltenders this season.

He now returns to a Hershey Bears team that has won six of their last seven and currently sits tied for first in the Atlantic Division with the Springfield Thunderbirds. In the AHL this season Fucale has a 6-2-2 record with a 2.73 goals-against average and a .889-save percentage.

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Capitals Re-assign Zach Fucale to Hershey

ARLINGTON, Va. – The Washington Capitals have re-assigned goaltender Zach Fucale to the Hershey Bears of the American Hockey League (AHL), senior vice president and general manager Brian MacLellan announced today.

Fucale, 26, posted a record of 1-1-1 with one shutout, a 1.75 goals-against average and a .924 save percentage in four games for the Capitals this season. Fucale became the first goaltender in franchise history to record a shutout in his NHL debut when he stopped all 21 shots against the Detroit Red Wings on Nov. 11 at Little Caesars Arena.

In his second career NHL start on Jan. 8 against the Minnesota Wild, Fucale broke a Washington franchise record for the longest shutout streak by a goaltender from the start of a tenure with the franchise in the first period, besting Cristobal Huet’s mark of 80:36. In the second period, he broke the NHL record for the longest career-opening shutout sequence. Fucale’s streak ended at 138 minutes and 17 seconds, beating Matt Hackett’s (Minnesota) mark of 102:48 set in 2011.

In 10 games with the Bears this season, Fucale has posted a record of 6-2-2 with a 2.73 goals-against average and a .889 save percentage.

During the 2020-21 season, the Laval, Quebec, native led the AHL in goals-against average (1.80) and ranked second in save percentage (.932), establishing career highs in both categories. The 6’2″, 189-pound goaltender played the most games (11) he has played at the AHL level since the 2017-18 season, posting a 9-2-0 record. Fucale’s nine wins were tied for eighth in the AHL, while his two losses were the fewest among goaltenders with at least 660 minutes played. Fucale and Pheonix Copley received the AHL’s Harry “Hap” Holmes Memorial Award, presented to the goaltenders on the team which allows the fewest goals per game in the regular season. In 90 career AHL games, Fucale has a 43-36-6 record with a 2.88 goals-against average and .902 save percentage.

Screenshot: @Capitals

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