Martin Jones

Martin Jones was in the middle of a hockey retailer appearance — the kind of public event that fills a goaltender's off-ice calendar — when InGoal Magazine's Kevin Woodley sat down with him to review saves from the previous season. What followed became the foundation for two Pro Reads that InGoal has published on the North Vancouver, British Columbia native.

Born January 10, 1990, Jones stands 6'5" and catches left. Over 466 NHL regular-season games he has posted 236 wins, 171 losses, and 36 overtime losses, with a career goals-against average of 2.72, a save percentage of .905, and 30 shutouts.

InGoal Magazine has covered Martin Jones in two Pro Reads.

The first Pro Read ^[1], published January 6, 2020, centers on a save Jones made during the 2019 Western Conference Final when the San Jose Sharks faced the St. Louis Blues — the eventual Stanley Cup champions — with the series tied 1-1. Early in the third period of Game 3, with St. Louis holding a one-goal lead, a net drive by Ryan O'Reilly down low created a rapidly changing situation. Jones described his approach with the same matter-of-fact calmness he carried on the ice, walking Woodley through how he identified the primary threat from O'Reilly coming from a sharp angle, and how a secondary backdoor threat — initially well out of the play — became a real factor requiring an additional push across the net. The Pro Read's summary notes that Jones "had to trust his d-man with the back door," and that despite having to cover a threat that his defensive coverage left unattended, Jones offered no complaints. A follow-up Pro Read was referenced in that piece, noting Jones chose a VH save selection in a different but related down-low scenario.

That second Pro Read ^[2], published February 22, 2020, examines a powerplay situation with St. Louis driving across the blueline into what Jones described as "kind of a little 3 on 2," with one San Jose defenseman off balance and Brent Burns left uncertain how to play the puck carrier. When Woodley pressed Jones to go deeper than his initial reaction — Jones watched the save back and said "there's not much there," telling Woodley "not much to talk about here Woody" — the fuller read emerged. Jones explained that he was playing relatively flat and "sitting on pass a little bit," describing his positioning as "I'm kinda flat, I'm kinda sitting on pass a little bit here, I'm not really square to the shooter." On his push to cover the backdoor, Jones said: "that push is kind of a half push, I'm not flying across, he's got time, I don't want to lose the centre of the net there." The play developed into an against-the-grain sequence in which Jones pushed toward the middle of the net before reversing direction to complete the save.