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

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

NEWS | The Capitals recalled goaltender Zach Fucale from the Hershey Bears.#ALL CAPS | @FTX_Official https://t.co/D12kAdOpkc

— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) March 3, 2022

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

He’s struggled in the AHL since his return. He’s 8-8-4 for Hershey with a 2.85 goals-against average and .884 save percentage this season.

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

The Capitals currently have 24 players on their roster with this recall which is one over the allotted limit of 23. It’s explained by CapFriendlywhich report that Fucale is up in the NHL on an emergency loan likely due to Samsonov’s alleged injury status.

Here is 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, was 1-1-1 with a shutout, 1.75 goals-against average and .924 save percentage in four games with 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 Washington’s franchise record for longest shutout streak by a goaltender since beginning a franchise tenure. in the first period, beating Cristobal Huet’s mark of 80: 36. In the second period, he broke the NHL record for longest early-career shutout streak. Fucale’s streak ended at 138 minutes and 17 seconds, beating Matt Hackett (Minnesota)’s mark of 102:48 set in 2011.

In 20 games with the Bears this season, Fucale was 8-8-4 with a 2.85 goals-against average and .884 save percentage.

During the 2020-21 season, the Laval, Que., native led the AHL in goals-against average (1.80) and ranked second in save percentage (.932), setting career highs in both categories. The 6’2″, 189-pound goaltender has 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 lowest 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 of the team that allows the fewest goals per game in the regular season. In 100 career AHL games, Fucale is 45-42-8 with a 2.89 goals-against average and .900 save percentage.

Main photo: Elizabeth Kong/MRNB