Pro-Reads with Ryan Miller
With Ryan Miller
6 on 5 vs. Leafs brings a different read than a regular 5 on 4 PK
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Ryan Miller retired this summer but after a remarkable 18-season career that included the most NHL wins by an American goalie (387), the 2010 Vezina Trophy and a silver medal as MVP of the 2010 Olympics, we weren’t going to pass on a chance to pick his considerable puck-stopping brain and break down video from his last couple of seasons with the Anaheim Ducks.
As thoughtful off the ice as he was brilliant on it, Miller is poised rejoin the USA Olympic team as a coach for the 2022 Beijing Games, something he discusses at length in an upcoming edition of the InGoal Radio Podcast before reviewing footage of a half dozen saves for Pro Reads.
THE SCENARIO
Miller makes his Pro Reads debut with a late-game 6-on-5 sequence against the potent Toronto Maple Leafs two seasons ago, helping the Ducks hang on for the win after entering the game late while dealing with the likes of Auston Matthews, John Tavares and company.
Watching Matthews load up in the freeze frame above while fighting through a Zach Hyman screen atop his crease, what do you identify as the most dangerous options on the ice?
Does the fact it’s a 6-on-5 rather than a 5-on-4 power play make a difference? How?
Before we get to the complete save, take a look at it from behind the net (below). What do you make of Miller’s decision to look around the screen on the short side here?
THE SAVE
Now let’s take at the entire sequence and see if there’s any additional factors that come into play at full speed, with the added context of movement from both Matthews and Hyman:
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- Ryan Miller breaks down his save on a 6-on-5 sequence against Auston Matthews and the Toronto Maple Leafs, entering the game late to help the Ducks hold on for the win.
- Miller identifies key differences in threat reads between a 6-on-5 and a 5-on-4 power play, noting how dangerous options shift when a goalie faces Matthews, Tavares, and an extra attacker simultaneously.
- Miller self-critiques his push and positioning before the save, walking through the specific adjustments he would make and the decision-making factors behind his choice to look around the screen on the short side.
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