Pro-Reads: Cal Petersen awareness and reads with help from the pre-scout
With Cal Petersen
Our newest member of the ProReads club talks us through staring down not one but two Evgeni Malkin One-Timer opportunities in a sequence.
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Today we welcome a new pro to the InGoal ProReads team, Los Angeles King Cal Petersen. Chatting with us for the first time, he jumped in with both feet, first doing a lengthy podcast interview with Kevin Woodley before taking on several different proreads. Our first is a 6 on 5 sequence against the Pittsburgh Penguins where he sees Evgeni Malkin with two different one-timer looks.
The Scenario
Today’s read isn’t a single play but a series as Petersen faces the vaunted Penguins offence in a 6 on 5 scenario. While there isn’t a single situation to set up we will let you know that there end up being two different passes to Malkin standing in his one-T spot. They are both similar to the scene below but some subtle changes in Petersen’s read help him identify two different outcomes – both, of course, resulting in saves.
Have a look below and consider, what is the likely play as Malkin will soon receive the puck? How would you prepare for it? And we’ll give you a hint on his reads: what movement in the net-front Penguins might change that read and Malkin’s most-likely play?
The Save
Having considered what might develop, let’s go on to see the play as it happened. It’s tempting to get straight to the read but first take some time with this. Feel free to rewind and stop the play. Can you spot the differences the two times Malkin gets the puck in his 1-T spot? On the plays, what do you see Petersen do to help himself have the best opportunity to come up with the save? Consider that this is a pressure-filled play facing two of the best players in the world desperately trying to get the tying goal. The frantic play turns into a “cluster,” to use Petersen’s words, and yet the young Kings’ netminder remains calm and comes up with solid well-thought reads, in a fraction of a second.
The Pro-Read
Having seen the save, let’s take some time to hear Kevin Woodley and Cal Peterson talk the situation through. While all of our previous ProReads have been done in person this one was a little different. The season is on pause and we had to meet online, chatting over a shared screen. Nonetheless, we still get an in-depth look inside an NHL goaltender’s mind at work. Did you notice any of the same things when you watched it?
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- Cal Petersen breaks down his saves on two Evgeni Malkin one-timer attempts in the same 6-on-5 sequence against the Pittsburgh Penguins.
- Petersen identifies how net-front movement by opposing skaters changes the read on Malkin's most likely play, resulting in two different save responses to visually similar situations.
- Despite a frantic, chaotic sequence — what Petersen calls a 'cluster' — he describes staying calm and using pre-scouted knowledge of Malkin's tendencies to prepare before each pass arrives.
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