Scott Wedgewood may have taken a little while to establish himself in the NHL but the Dallas Stars stopped has quickly made himself a fan favourite here at Pro Reads.

Not that it is a surprise to anyone who listened to Wedgewood deliver a detailed breakdown of the evolution of his game and technique on the InGoal Radio Podcast, but Wedgewood has been a perfect Pro Reads guest through four video sessions, so let’s get to No. 5.

THE SEQUENCE

Wedgwood is facing a potent Toronto Maple Leafs power play led by Auston Matthews, who was chasing a franchise record in this game, but had no shortage of passing options.

The sequence contains several scenarios Wedgewood has to decipher in real time, but starts with him squared on Matthews as he gathers a puck at the face-off dot to his left:

Fast forward a little (it’s actually just four seconds later) and Wedgewood is facing an entirely different scenario with Mitch Marner winding up, traffic in front and that Matthews guys still lurking where we started this sequence over by the opposite face-off dot:

With two visible pass options for Marner in Morgan Reilly winding up for a one-timer up high and John Tavares presenting his stick for a tip in front, plus Matthews lurking off screen to his left, what do you make of Wedgewood narrowing up his stance? Can you see why he would?

THE SAVE

Now let’s connect those two moments and see how Wedgewood handled them:

Seeing it in real time, any thoughts on Wedgewood’s initial depth and the results? Was there anything you noticed about his recovery priorities? As for the second chance, did you make the right read in terms of where Marner was headed with that pass? Did you spot any clues?

Lastly, what did you make of Wedgewood sliding across and then recovering up on one leg?

THE PRO READ

Now let’s check in with Wedgewood and see how he read this play as it transpired, and what factors led to that initial depth decision, the lateral slide, and the partial recovery:

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