Cam Talbot Pro Reads 11 — Beware ‘Triangle’ and other Breakaway Keys
With Cam Talbot
Beware ‘Triangle’ and other Breakaway Keys
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Cam Talbot delivered exceptional advice during an extended return to Pro Reads last season, so we didn’t want to wait too long before getting the Detroit Red Wings goalie back in the mix when he came through Vancouver this season.
Not only has Talbot been a three-time NHL All Star Game goalie since his Pro Reads debut back with the Minnesota Wild, but he’s also a perfect guest because he credits a big part of that late-career rise to his work with Vizual Edge, which now sponsors the segment, and that training plays a role in this save breakdown.
THE SEQUENCE
There’s no point hiding that this is a breakaway — it’s right there in the title — and that means that the pace of the attack is key but see if you can identify anything in this freeze frame below that might provide a shot-or-deke clue:
Does anything stand out to you about whether New Jersey Devils forward Dawson Mercer might deke or shoot here? What about Talbot’s depth relative to where Mercer is at this point coming in on a slight angle off left wing?
THE SAVE
Now watch the video and replay to see if you correctly identified what might happen, while also paying attention to Talbot’s depth relative to Mercer.
Did that play out as expected? Do you think you identified why Mercer might be more likely to shoot based on that first freeze frame? Did anything else stand out about how Talbot managed this? What about the shot itself?
THE PRO READ
Now let’s hear from Talbot as he shares his thoughts on this breakaway chance:
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- Cam Talbot breaks down his breakaway save on Dawson Mercer while playing for the Detroit Red Wings, identifying how an unexpected defensive collapse changed his positioning.
- When a defenseman goes down unexpectedly, Talbot adjusts by taking as much ice as possible while recalibrating his retreat timing to match the shooter's pace.
- Talbot identifies pre-shot cues in the attacker's approach — including what he calls the 'triangle' — to anticipate whether a shooter will deke or shoot on a breakaway.
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