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Capitals recall Zach Fucale from Hershey

By Chris Cerullo

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March 3, 2022 10:08 am

The Washington Capitals have brought goaltender Zach Fucale back to their roster from the Hershey Bears. Fucale has made four appearances with the Capitals this season, amassing a 1-1-1 record with a 1.75 goals-against average and a .924 save percentage.

Ilya Samsonov remains on the active roster but took a puck up high in Wednesday’s practice that caused him to leave early. Vitek Vanecek practiced normally Wednesday after taking a maintenance day following his appearance against the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Fucale has been with Hershey since making a January 10 appearance for the Caps against the Boston Bruins. Earlier in the season, Zach set the NHL record for longest shutout streak to start an NHL career after posting a clean sheet in his NHL debut and continuing that streak through two other games.

He has struggled in the AHL since returning. He has an 8-8-4 record for Hershey with a 2.85 goals-against average and a .884 save percentage this season.

In early February, Fucale became a father for the first time as he announced the birth of his son Teo.

The Capitals currently have 24 players on their roster with this recall which is one above the allotted limit of 23. That is explained by CapFriendly, who report Fucale is up in the NHL on an emergency loan basis likely due to Samsonov’s assumed injury status.

Here’s the full press release from the Capitals:

Capitals Recall Zach Fucale from Hershey

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

Fucale, 26, has 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 20 games with the Bears this season, Fucale has posted a record of 8-8-4 with a 2.85 goals-against average and a .884 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 100 career AHL games, Fucale has a 45-42-8 record with a 2.89 goals-against average and .900 save percentage.

Headline photo: Elizabeth Kong/RMNB