Saves of the week 11/18 - too much details

10 – Ersberg vs Erat
Leg strength is essential for a goalie. Reflexes & positioning will give you the tools to make saves but a strong leg allows Ersberg here to move quickly across the crease and close down a wide open net before a good player can wrist it past. It was a very nice controlled slide across, maybe a bit too crouched down but still alert and with a ready glove. Of course if the Kings weren’t running like chickens with their heads cut off, Erat might have been covered and this a complete non-play.

9 – Lundqvist vs Zubrus
One of my biggest pet peeves: the panic grabbing some goalies once they lose their stick. Chill out dude! You’ve got pads, a blocker and your glove still on, you will make it out if you keep cool! Here, Lundqvist loses his stick, gets one from his dman but that’s not good enough and he tells the defenseman to go grab his stick in the corner…. The Devils of course are uncaring about poor lil Henrik without his stick and uses that time to go for the now defenseman-less goal. Lundqvist does however keep some of his cool, follows the puck, moves nicely and is in perfect position, the puck hitting his outstretched leg.

8 – Ersberg vs Barch
Avery might be a douchebag but he plays a good physical game. Incredible pass across the crease but Ersberg shows off his lateral movement by pushing off and cutting off a perfect one-timer.

7 – Deslauriers vs Callahan
Goalies have gotten back at this in recent years but we still see some goalies freezing when they underarm the puck like that: they think they have it and don’t want to move in case the puck falls off. Nevermind the puck falling if you aren’t sure where it is! If you have the puck, stand still… if you aren’t sure, move, look, check around, make sure you have it!, don’t stand there until a whistle blows… or the red light goes in.

6 – Mason vs Vanek
This is how you handle the league top scorer barring down at you on a breakaway! You follow him without flinching, letting him do the first move and commit… of course when the shooter commits, you need to have the athleticism and quickness to stick your leg in time and deny him!

5 – Turco vs ??? (if anyone knows that was, I couldn’t make out the jersey)
Spectacular play but the save wasn’t that great. The shooter shot it in the middle of the net instead of the whole empty half. Turco basically didn’t move or do anything. Sometimes that’s all you need to look like a great goalie

4 – Bryzgalov vs Modin
Lateral moves need to be controlled. This is not a slide with inertia stopping you. It has to be a muscle controlled move that ends with the goalie in his stance ready to make a save. This rule applies to all goalie except Dominik Hasek. Bryzgalov shows how to do that as the Jackets play tic-tac-toe across the crease. Great athleticism bringing about a great pad save.

3 – Ward vs Little
Forget Bryzgalov! Now this is a pad save! All reflex too: a strong push from side to side with the leg outstretched and the young Thrasher is denied

2 – Theodore vs Parise
A great desperation save by a confused goalie, laying down his paddle to cover at least some of the completely empty net.

1 – Budaj vs Sedin
Look at #8 from two weeks ago. This looks like a set play for the Canucks as they pass the puck so quickly all over. Budaj is quick as a cat here and there simply is no way that puck could have went in