Eric Comrie is currently with the Winnipeg Jets in the Stanley Cup Playoffs but for this week’s Pro Reads he revisits his brief stint with the New Jersey Devils this season for a video review of a power play one-timer by Buffalo Sabres star Jack Eichel.

In this breakdown, Comrie talks about the importance of a good pre-scout, cutting his ice in half to simplify a read (something we heard recently from Jake Allen as well), managing traffic and how distance dictates dangerous threats. Anyone who tuned in for his earlier Pro Reads already knows these are can’t miss for a goalie who bounced around the NHL the past two seasons.

THE SCENARIO

A lot of the elements mentioned above are part of the sequence leading up to the final shot from Eichel, but for the sake of getting you to Comrie’s wisdom sooner, let’s just focus on that final scoring chance in our freeze frame:

We’ve already given away where the shot eventually comes from on this play, so rather than identify the most dangerous threat, what factors are you considering when it comes to the passing options or even zeroing in on Eichel already? There’s traffic in front, and Comrie is holding his sight line on the short side relative to the puck, rather than trying to find it on the other side, which would put him closer to Eichel. Can you think of why that might be?

THE SAVE

As we take a look at the save video, including the sequence that preceded it, you might find your clue as to why Comrie kept his screen sightline opposite of a wide-open Eichel:

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