Scott Wedgewood Pro Reads 3
With Scott Wedgewood
Why recovering to feet remains a key, even on rebound plays relatively close to the net
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Scott Wedgewood has picked up where he left off last season since Jake Oettinger was forced out with a lower body injury on Oct. 29, winning his next three starts while posting a .935 save percentage, which makes this the perfect time to go back to him for another Pro Reads.
Not that we ever need an excuse. As anyone who listened to Wedgewood deliver a detailed breakdown of the evolution of his game and technique on the InGoal Radio Podcast already guessed, Wedgewood has been a perfect Pro Reads guest. There will be links below to his fantastic first two entries, but let’s not waste any more time before getting to Part 3:
THE SEQUENCE
After facing his former team, the Tampa Bay Lightning, in the first two entries, Wedgewood is up against the equally dangerous Carolina Hurricanes in the next two, starting with a 5-on-5 in-zone sequence that includes a couple saves, including one for the highlight reels.
“I think I’ve seen this save a few times,” Wedgewood said.
Here’s what the moments before the save looked like:
We’ll leave it to Wedgewood to critique the fact that the first save on the left, which came on a shot from the point, led to the rebound chance you see on the right. For now, let’s focus on that second chance and the decision to recover to his feet after that first save?
What do you make of the decision to get back up? Can you think of any advantages? What do you make of how Wedgewood is positioned given the backdoor threat to his left?
THE SAVE
Now watch the entire sequence and ask yourself the same questions.
Paying close attention to how Wedgewood moves after recovering to his feet, can you spot anything that sets him up to get across on that backdoor chance?
Seeing it in real time, do you think Wedgewood could get across if he stayed down on his knees rather than recovering to his feet? Would it have made a difference if he stayed deeper?
THE PRO READ
Now let’s check in with Wedgewood and see how he felt about both the initial chance, and how he managed the rebound and resulting backdoor opportunity.
Watch Scott Wedgewood break down the full video for you
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- Wedgewood breaks down his backdoor save against Carolina during a 5-on-5 in-zone sequence, walking through a two-save sequence that starts with a point shot and ends with a highlight-reel stop.
- Recovering to his feet after the first save — rather than staying on his knees — was the critical decision that allowed Wedgewood to get across to cover the backdoor chance.
- Wedgewood identifies his positioning relative to the backdoor threat to his left as a key variable in whether the recovery to his feet was viable.
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