WHEN THE PUCK CARRIER IS BEHIND THE NET

   As I watch Robin Lehner I see something that a lot of young goalies struggle with - how to play a situation where the opposition has the puck behind the net and comes out on the blocker side.  Robin often goes down, not only into a butterfly but often commits to going blocker down, and glove down as well - on all fours!

Certain situations do call for Lehner's approach but when does this save selection become a liability, in this situation?  Read on....

The key is realizes when a puck carrier is going to come in tight and try to stuff a puck in tight (wrap-around) , whether he will swing wide and go for a bad angle shot or try to pass to a player out in the slot.  Each situation requires a different save selection and approach.

First you need to determine your initial stance that can transition into all of these situations.  This initial set-up varies greatly from goalie to goalie. 

Your commitment to the player behind the net versus the quick pass out front determines a lot of this initial setup.  

First lets deal with stick position. 

See this diagram and see how you want to cut off any passes that could go 'through' you.  Keep the stick tight - not away from your feet.

The next thing to consider is your stance, relative to the player with the puck and to the potential shot from a pass to the slot.

The following pictures illustrate the two different extremes to committed you are to the player behind the net.

Notice how Hasek is positioned more to stop a shot that comes out to the front of the net, but notice how Moog is more committed to the player behind the net.  My preference here is the 'Hasek style'.  In today's quick game you have little time to react and Hasek is much better positioned to stop the one-timer from a pass to the slot than Moog, as Moog would have to move left and reposition - too much movement for the split second available to him.  Playing the 'Hasek style' allows a goalie to go down into a butterfly for the quick stuff attempt or allows him to move square to the shooter if he carry's the puck wide into the face-off circle.

Now when do you go down, and when do you stay up?  The age old question for goalies.

Ignore those yelling "Stand-Up!"  Yes there is a time to stand up and let the angles work for you but there is always a point in which you will need to go down to cover the bottom portion of the net.  Here's how to determine which to use....

In this situations, where the player carries the puck wide, you MUST stay up in your stance and let the angles work for you.  The player is at such a bad angle that by remaining on your feet, tightening your pads together, and squaring to the shooter will eliminate all chances of a bad angle goal.

You must NOT go into the butterfly here as the better players will see the top of then net WIDE OPEN and simply fire the puck over your shoulders.  If you are down on your knees, or on all fours, swing your stick at the shooter you will get burnt up high, on a bad angle goal.

The threat here is not down low and your priority is to fill in the angle by staying on your feet and playing the potential shot.

Now, if the player does try to come in tight and score a wrap-around type of goal then it is time to get DOWN and cover the bottom portion of the net.

You do NOT want to be on your feet with the puck banging between your skates with players jamming at it.  There is very little threat up high and you need to either stop the puck from reaching the front of the net or be in position to prevent a scramble situation from becoming a goal.

Check out Beezer here

He is a small goalie with short legs compared to those goalies well over six feet.  He does a good job going down low, paddle down, glove still in position and taking away the bottom portion of the net.

I would argue that it is much easier to get into this position when you are in the 'Hasek style' stance than if you are in close to the post, half-facing the player behind the net.

So the keys to playing the situation with a man with the puck over your blocker side are...

-stay up unless he comes in tight and fast with a wrap-around.

-stay up and play the angle if he goes wide.

-keep your stick close and don't allow pucks to get out front that are within your reach

-position yourself so that you can make a save on a quick pass-shot from the slot.

Don't let those bad angle shots get past your because simple awareness of the situation and positioning can make a tricky situation routine. 

The pictures above are from Goalies World - Issue #1 and the stick diagram is from Goalies-for-Rent.

    Jerry Shields
 -Goaltending Coach
 -Statistical Analyst
 -Scouting
 -Hockey Reporter
 -Goalie Historian

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