Backhand tip? No problem after Cal Petersen shows you how to read it.
With Cal Petersen
Petersen makes a tricky tip look easy - now you can too.
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Impressive Los Angeles Kings rookie Cal Petersen spent more than an hour with InGoal early in the NHL pause, first taping an interview for the InGoal Radio Podcast, and then reviewing tape of plays from the past season and sharing his insights and reads on certain situations.
This is the third of those Pro Reads with Petersen, and if you haven’t already checked out the first two, they included an insightful first video review of a 6-on-5 sequence against the Pittsburgh Penguins, and a lesson on handling a 2-on-0 against the Edmonton Oilers.
This time Petersen walks us through a much simpler rush chance against the Vegas Golden Knights that quickly transitions into end-zone play with a flash screen and deflection.
The Scenario
This one starts as a rush chance, with Petersen sharing a quick tip he uses to sort it out when a defenseman, in this case Shea Theodore, is leading it. But it transitions quickly into end-zone play, with Golden Knights forward Max Pacioretty skating through Petersen’s sight line just as a long shot is released from along the boards high in the zone. Petersen refers to it as a flash screen, and it’s an increasingly common attack in the NHL, with teams working to make sure their attacking forwards and defensemen are on the same page in terms of when to take away the goalie’s eyes, and what side to funnel the puck depending on which side they are trying to force the goalie to look to find the puck. We can see Pacioretty about to cut in front here:
As you look at the still shot of Pacioretty cutting in front of Petersen above, what information can you see that might tell you where this eventual deflection is headed? With Pacioretty about to cut off his line of sight, does Petersen need to consider looking to the other side?
Now let’s take a look at the entire play:
The Save
Did Pacioretty end up tipping the puck where you expected?
If so, well done.
If not, listen below to the keys Petersen used to identify a deflection against the grain before it happened. Notice he sets himself up to cut off that type of tip before Pacioretty makes it.
The Pro-Read
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- Cal Petersen leads a video review of his save on a flash screen and backhand deflection against the Vegas Golden Knights, breaking down how he read the play before contact.
- Petersen identifies the flash screen — a forward cutting through his sight line as a shot is released from high in the zone — as a coordinated, increasingly common NHL attacking tactic.
- Petersen explains he recognized a deflection against the grain before Pacioretty made it, allowing him to position himself to cut it off rather than react after the tip.
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