As Alex Nedeljkovic continues to prepare for his first season with his home state Detroit Red Wings, we don’t want to waste any of his incredible insights from an extended Pro Reads session while still with the Carolina Hurricanes. Given how open and informative Nedeljkovic was while doubling up with two somewhat related saves in his debut, and again breaking down the importance of angle over depth pushing across on a rush chance, we’re confident Premium Members agree, so here’s a third Pro Read from his breakthrough season in Carolina.​

THE SCENARIO

This one might be most applicable for beer league goalies, but if it can happen in the NHL, it can happen anywhere, so let’s get Nedeljkovic’s philosophy on how to play a clear cut 2-on-0! But before we get to his thoughts, what information are you noting most seeing this materialize?  

Given that initial information and assessment, what do you make of Nedeljkovic’s depth above? What is it about the shooters and where they are positioned that allows him to be outside the blue ice in a situation where at least one pass across seems likely?

THE SAVE

Let’s take a look at the entire sequence to see how this 2-on-0 played out:

Watching how this played out, what do you think of the way Nedeljkovic uses a bit of a reverse c-cut with his left skate ahead of — and as part of — his push to the left? It’s something that might seem familiar, both from his last Pro Reads installment, and our recent article about “The Bob,” a lateral move based on watching Sergei Bobrovsky (more on that below).

THE PRO READ

Now let’s hear Nedeljkovic explain why he thinks that type of push works in this situation, what cues he was looking for early in this play, and how it affected his depth and push selection:

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