Cam Talbot Pro Reads 9
Managing Defensive Screens and Importance of Shift vs Slide
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THE SEQUENCE
This time Talbot breaks down a 5-on-5 in-zone sequence against the St. Louis Blues. The puck has just been moved from the right corner (on Talbot’s left) up to the top of the right face-off circle, with a defenseman rushing out the shooter:
You can see from the freeze frame above that Talbot has chosen to keep his eye on the puck using the short-side lane of a screen created by his own defenseman.
Do you agree with that decision? What factors do you think goes into it?
With the Blues player ready to shoot, are there other threats to worry about?
THE SAVE
Watch the video to see if you correctly identified what might happen:
With the pass coming across to Jake Neighbors in the high slot for a quick shot, do you still think it was the right call to be on the short side of the initial screen?
Why or why not?
What did you like about the way Talbot managed this?
Is there anything you would do differently in hindsight?
THE PRO READ
Now let’s hear from Talbot as he shares his thoughts on this scoring chance:
Watch Cam Talbot break down the full video for you
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- Cam Talbot breaks down his save on a 5-on-5 in-zone sequence against the St. Louis Blues, where a cross-ice pass to Jake Neighbors in the high slot creates a quick-release scoring chance.
- Talbot tracked the initial shooter through a screen using the short-side lane, then switched shoulders on his own defenseman to relocate the puck after the pass.
- On the Neighbors shot, Talbot credits a subtle shuffle — not a big movement — while staying square, with eyes leading and hands in front, to close off holes from a dangerous area.
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