Some more Capstone, goalie analysis

This interview was filmed, like, weeks ago. Boston local news...

Goalie analysis by a terrible goalie:

It's no secret than Jon Quick is the best goalie the Kings have had in years. It's also no secret that he's not a very good goalie. He is, certainly, capable of playing in the NHL, and he is, certainly, capable of singlehandedly winning games.

But Quick's biggest strength, his athleticism, is often his biggest weakness. His style is unorthodox, he doesn't favor positioning over movement, and he spends a lot of time in the splits. Like, way too much time. I tried the splits during a game once and could barely walk home.

With that said, Quick could improve his overall play with a simple adjustment: stop with the damn paddle down. Paddle down is when a goalie gets the paddle of his stick down on the ice as a way to block the lower area of the net. Generally, goalies will do this when play is behind the net or at a very sharp angle, essentially completely filling the available angle and guaranteeing a save. This is all well and good, but Quick likes to use paddle down when play is in front of the net. He uses it in a way that takes him out of position because paddle down requires that you be in the butterfly, and Quick's movement is not as good when he's down. This leads to lots of rebound opportunities, as the paddle of the stick reflects pucks with gusto, and since he's already down, he can't move quickly enough to make the save. He also gets beat five-hole when he's trying to snatch the puck with his glove because his blocker is already on the ice. This forces him to dive forward, and opens the five-hole long enough to allow for some ugly goals off skates.

Interestingly, this strategy works really well in shootouts. Quick has superb reactions, and when he doesn't have to worry about rebounds, he's capable of impressive first-shot saves that then take him well out of position. Great during a shootout, poor during a game.