Matt Murray ProRead 11
With Matt Murray
Reading Shot-or-Pass Cues from Defense on 2-on-1
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Matt Murray is back in the NHL with the Seattle Kraken after overcoming double hip surgery and splitting last season between the Toronto Maple Leafs and their AHL affiliate — and currently nearing a return from an injury that kept him out 6 weeks — and that gave us a chance to catch up with the two-time Stanley Cup winner for more Pro Reads.
Anyone who listened to Murray past video breakdowns already knows how well he sees and processes the game. The 11-year NHL veteran is exceptional in this format, highlighted by a master class on managing screens in his Pro Reads debut, and we’d strongly suggest going back through his first nine entries (below) after you watch this latest breakdown.
THE SEQUENCE
This time Murray is facing a 2-on1 rush against the Washington Capitals, with Connor McMichael carrying the puck into the zone and Tom Wilson as his pass option:
Looking at the freeze frame above, are there any factors that might lead you to believe McMichael is passing or shooting at this point in the 2-on-1?
What do you notice about Murray’s positioning and stance at this point in the rush?
Based on how Murray is playing this, do you think he’s anticipating shot or pass?
What do you think is coming next? Why?
THE SAVE
Now watch it play out in real time and ask yourself those same questions:
Ignoring the spinning chaos that follows the initial save, what did you make of the way Murray approached the initial rush? Given his positioning as McMichael shoots, how confident do you think he was that this was going to be a shot, rather than a pass?
Again, what cues were you able to pick up that pointed towards that?
THE PRO READ
Now, let’s hear Murray break it down and explain what he saw to make that read:
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- Matt Murray breaks down his save on a Connor McMichael 2-on-1 rush with Tom Wilson as the pass option against the Washington Capitals.
- Murray's shot-vs-pass read was driven primarily by his own defenseman's positioning, which he identified as making a cross-ice pass to Wilson extremely difficult.
- On 2-on-1 rushes, Murray looks for clues in defensive structure — not just the puck carrier's body language — to commit to a read before the shot or pass is made.
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