Just how frequently will Veini Vehvilainen start in goal as the Cleveland Monsters home schedule has them playing four games in seven days?
Playing four games in a rather short period of time is nothing new for the Cleveland Monsters. More often than not, there is usually a back-to-back involved. This time is a little bit different. Cleveland will play games on an every other day basis over seven days. The only other time this occurs this season is March 29th-April 4th. This presents an interesting situation in regards to how often Veini Vehvilainen will start in net. There are a couple of determining factors at play.
Other available goaltenders
The only other goaltender with Cleveland at this moment in time is Brad Thiessen. Thiessen performed well against Utica on February 1st, but this was only his fourth appearance in goal this season. Thiessen plays very sparingly, if at all. There is another potential option currently up with Columbus, Matiss Kivlenieks. Kivlenieks was called up to the Blue Jackets due to the injury to Joonas Korpisalo. Although, Korpisalo could be returning sooner rather than later. The 25-year old goaltender traveled with the team to Buffalo and Montreal. The fact that Korpisalo was with the team certainly points in the direction of an impending return. If Korpisalo returns that could lead to Kivleneks coming back down to Cleveland. That is unless Columbus keeps three goaltenders on their roster.
Monsters opponents
Cleveland will face Rochester, Binghamton (twice), and Grand Rapids over their next four games. The two games against Binghamton could be an option for Mike Eaves to split up goaltending duties and keep Veini Vehvilainen fresh. It could also prevent Binghamton possibly picking up on some tendencies from Vehvilainen and taking advantage of him, leading to the next point.
Performance of Veini Vehvilainen
Just how Veini Vehvilainen plays is a major factor. If Veini Vehvilainen struggles at any point it could lead to goalie swap for one game. Vehvilainen has allowed 3 goals in the three games against Rochester this season. In his lone start against Binghamton, Vehvilainen allowed five goals, not exactly his best performance. This lines up with splitting things up between Vehvilainen and another goaltender with the Monsters two consecutive games against the Devils. Grand Rapids scored three times against Vehvilainen back in November. These three opponents have proved to be quite problematic for Veini Vehvilainen and if he struggles against any one of them it is possible he sits one game in order to prevent him from losing confidence.
Games following the every other day schedule
After the Monsters have four games in eight days, they have a two-day break before heading out on a grueling three day road trip in three different cities. Cleveland heads to Grand Rapids, Rockford, and Chicago on consecutive days, providing another situation that needs to be navigated. Mike Eaves could opt to start Veini Vehvilainen for the first two games, give him a day off before having him start their final home game before the road trip. After that it could be an every other game situation with their goaltenders, but again this all depends on how Vehvilainen performs. Any sort of struggle in the first game and that could alter things. Planning is great, but adjusting when facing adversity is just as important. It will be crucial for the Monsters and the development of Vehvilainen to make adjustments if needed. If Cleveland is going to move up out of eighth place in the AHL North Division, their goaltender situation must be handled properly and it all starts with this upcoming stretch.
