Pro-Reads: Mike Condon – OT 2 on 1 leads to Desperation Save
With Mike Condon
Time and space plus the threat of a deceptive shot affect Condon's read leading to highlight reel save.
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Not every Pro-Read ends in a nice tidy save. Sometimes even with a solid read and a good response to the situation your opposition forces you into desperation mode. Such is the case with this week’s ProRead where Mike Condon ultimately faces “87” in overtime. When you give the best in the game time and space, you can lose control of the situation quickly and have to throw out the textbook to just try and get something in front of a shot. We’ll also see how having to respect the deception that players are employing today can complicate the situation significantly.
The Scenario
While playing with the Ottawa Senators against the Pittsburgh Penguins Mike Condon faced the situation below in 3 on 3 overtime. Justin Schultz is the puck carrier and the pass option in the slot needs no introduction; you’ll hear later in the Pro-Read Condon simply refers to him as “87.”
Other than having the best player in the game to worry about as a pass option, the scenario below sets itself up as a fairly textbook 2 on 1 situation. Have a look at the scene below:
The Save
Every goaltender has faced this situation countless times in games – and far more in practice than they might ever expect to see in games, but that’s a topic for another article 🙂 While there will be a few differences in how teams prefer to manage this play defensively we all know that the goaltender’s primary responsibility is the puck carrier while paying some attention to the possibility of a pass.
Before we look at Condon’s save here, consider what might develop. Does the fact that the pass option is Sidney Crosby affect your read? Does the 3 on 3 change what might develop next?
We’ve given away that this common scenario will lead to desperation, with the presence of Crosby and the extra time and space playing into it. So let’s enjoy the save before moving on to the read.
The Pro-Read
That save is one for the highlight reels for sure and while it ultimately was born of desperation – it’s hard enough to face Sidney Crosby when he gets a cross-ice feed on a 2 on 1 but downright unfair that he has the time to go back the other way as you are sliding to meet him. It was a great job by Condon to get something in front of the shot.
Let’s hear Condon break down what he saw in this Q & A with Kevin Woodley.
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- Condon breaks down his overtime desperation save on Sidney Crosby ('87') during a 3-on-3 2-on-1 with the Ottawa Senators against the Pittsburgh Penguins.
- Respect for Crosby's deception as the pass option — not just the puck carrier Justin Schultz — is what complicates the read and forces Condon off his textbook response.
- 3-on-3 overtime spacing gives elite players more time and space than a standard 2-on-1, which can accelerate the breakdown from controlled read to desperation save.
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