Pro Tips: The Panda Post Lock

Among the many interesting revelations to come out of Episode 156 of the InGoal Radio Podcast with Calgary Flames goalie development coach Thomas Speer and top puck-stopping prospect Dustin Wolf was a new sharp-angle technique they called The Panda, or Panda Post Lock.

No, it has nothing to do with Robin Lehner, whose nickname is Panda, though admittedly that was the first thing that went through our minds when Speer mentioned it. 

The move actually originated as part of Wolf’s evolution as a first-year pro and the addition of Overlap technique to how he handles dead-angle shots, something he said resulted from getting sniped short-side high from the bottom of the face-off circle in a rookie game against the Edmonton Oilers.

“It was a goal I’d rather not give up it was a learning experience that’s kind of set me up,” Wolf said. “It’s been a pretty big game changer in terms of shots from dead angles.”

One of the challenges with using Overlap can be handling that attack as it gets closer to the net and evolves from a shot threat to a wraparound. For some, the answer is to switch from an Overlap into Reverse-VH inside the post, but that transition can leave some goalies feeling exposed, so they came up with a new alternative.