Chris Driedger ProRead 5
Fighting through a screen
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It wasn’t technically Chris Driedger’s turn again in the Pro Reads rotation, but to celebrate his selection by the Seattle Kraken in the NHL expansion draft and new three-year contract as their No.1 goalie, it only made sense to go back to Driedger for this week’s video session.
Besides, Driedger was already sought after here at Pro Reads for his insights in this space, so bumping up his fifth entry in this series will make our Premium Members happy too. (And yes, we have plans to move fellow new Kraken goalie Joey Daccord up for next week).
THE SCENARIO
This time we are again talking about managing screens, which as readers might remember from Driedger’s second Pro Reads installment against the Columbus Blue Jackets, is an area he excels, posting some of the best traffic numbers in the NHL this season, according to our friends at Clear Sight Analytics. This chance against the Chicago Blackhawks is a little different, with the shooter in the middle of the ice and walking into the slot as Driedger is forced to pick a side:
As we see in the first freeze frame above, Driedger is looking over the right shoulder of the forward parked atop his crease as the player with the puck skates into the slot. But as you’ll see in the second freeze frame below, less than a second later Driedger is lower into his save stance and looking around the Dominik Kubalik screen on the other side:
Are there any reasons you can see for switching sides like that? Now watch the entire sequence below and see if any jump out to you? Anything else about Driedger’s positioning strike you, especially after he said in the above-linked Pro Reads he likes to play screens aggressively?
THE SAVE
How do you feel about Driedger’s decisions now that you’ve seen it at full speed?
Would you have played it any different?
THE PRO READ
Now let’s listen to Driedger’s thought process and tips on handling this screen:
Watch Chris Driedger break down the full video for you
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- Driedger breaks down his screened-shot save against Chicago, where he must pick a side as a shooter walks into the slot with a forward screening at the top of the crease.
- Driedger switches his sightline from the right shoulder of one forward to the opposite side around Dominik Kubalik in under a second, adjusting his read as the play develops.
- Driedger explains his aggressive approach to playing screens, a strength reflected in his top-tier traffic-against numbers tracked by Clear Sight Analytics.
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