Pro-Reads with Freddie Andersen
Prioritizing Early Eyes over Perfect Pushes
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The Carolina Hurricanes season is on the line in Game 7 against the New York Rangers without their No. 1 goalie Frederik Andersen, who is back on the ice as he continues to recover from a lower-body injury sustained in mid-April. But in the hopes of bringing some luck to Andersen and a hopeful return should the Hurricanes advance, we’ll go back to one of our first and favorite Pro Reads participants for another video breakdown session from this season.
THE SCENARIO
This is the second straight Pro Read where Andersen is up against the game’s greatest scorer, Connor McDavid of the Edmonton Oilers, but unlike last time, when McDavid was walking out of the corner with passing options in the slot, this time it’s a rush chance that ends with a second opportunity off a rebound and McDavid parked in the slot as the shooting threat.
We’ll skip to that second part, which represents the most dangerous part of the play:
Andersen has already initiated his recovery slide to the right after sending the initial rush shot by Zach Hyman across the ice, but as that puck nears Jesse Puljujärvi at the left face-off dot, who do you think is the most dangerous threat? Even with Puljujärvi on his forehand, is it him or McDavid on the inside edge of the face-off circle? What information are you looking for as you make that decision? What do you notice about Andersen’s path and posture?
Are you sliding into that post on your right by default before deciding what’s next?
THE SAVE
Speed matters in this sequence, so watch it in real time and ask yourself those same questions.
Seeing the entire play, is there anything about the way Andersen plays this you’d like to see done differently, whether it’s the original shot or the decisions coming across?
THE PRO READ
Now let’s hear from Andersen and get his breakdown on the initial shot and rebound chance.
Watch Freddie Andersen break down the full video for you
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- Andersen breaks down his rebound save against Connor McDavid after a Zach Hyman rush shot, with McDavid parked at the inside edge of the face-off circle as the slot threat.
- Prioritize early eyes on the rebound rather than defaulting into a post recovery — Andersen explains why reading the most dangerous threat first drives better positioning decisions.
- A default slide to the near post can cost a goalie time and angle when a high-danger shooter like McDavid is already in the slot during a live rebound situation.
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