Matt Murray ProRead 5
With Matt Murray
Stance Management and Depth Advice on the PK
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Matt Murray may be sitting out this season because of hip surgery, but we don’t want to waste the amazing insights the two-time Stanley Cup winner delivered for Pro Reads, and it’s already been far too long since we checked in with the Toronto Maple Leafs goalie already.
Murray delivered a master class on managing screens in his debut, touching on a long list of themes while identifying four keys to dealing with traffic and cross-body shots. We stuck with that theme his next two video sessions but have since moved onto other elements, focusing on deflections, net play, post integration and managing a multiple-stance system. This power play review continues on that last theme, with some play reading and depth advice mixed in.
THE SEQUENCE
Murray is facing a Colorado Avalanche power play this time, and that means dealing with a one-time option from one of the NHL’s best players in Nathan MacKinnon in the left circle:
It’s not the best freeze frame, but as that puck is passed from the high slot over to MacKinnon, what details are you looking for in terms of making a decision on depth as you come across?
What do you notice about Murray’s positioning and stance at this point?
Is MacKinnon the primary threat as a one-timer option? Are you coming out at him?
What information would lead to those decisions if you were in goal?
THE SAVE
Now watch it play out and ask yourself the same questions as you do.
Be honest, were you thinking MacKinnon was ripping this on net the whole time?
Maybe he was and just didn’t get all of it. Either way, what did you make of Murray’s decision not to come across and out more aggressively on one of the world’s best shooters?
Maybe watch it again and pay special attention to how Murray moves? What do you notice? What did you like? Can you identify what factors give him a chance to make the save when it becomes more of a backdoor slap pass — intentional or not — to the net front guy?
THE PRO READ
Now, let’s hear how Murray approached this in terms of stance, depth and save execution:
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- Matt Murray breaks down his save against a Colorado Avalanche power play, facing a one-timer option from Nathan MacKinnon in the left circle after a pass from the high slot.
- Murray explains the specific depth and positioning decision he made as the puck moved to MacKinnon, detailing what play-reading cues informed whether to come out aggressively on one of the NHL's elite shooters.
- Murray identifies the factors in his stance and movement that gave him a chance to make the save when the play shifted from a potential one-timer to a backdoor slap pass to the net-front player.
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