NHL Saves of the Week - Oct 4th, 2009
With the first whole week of play finished in the NHL, the Top 5 Saves of the Week have been published. It used to be the top 10, but they tended to get a bit repetitive, so I think only doing five is a good idea. You can find these at NHL.com under the Video > Face-Off 2009 section.
Craig Anderson throws out a really great quasi-pad stack [I say it's quasi because the pad stack is really a slide and he kind of just laid the pads out rather than sliding into the move]. It shows his agility and athleticism. First, making a save and flipping around on his back to get ready for the shot from the point. It's plays like these, where you are out of position, no-stick and on your back, that doing the "crazy" acrobatic goalie drills can really help your game. I love to teach somersaults and rolling on your back, especially to the young goalies. It helps them learn the weight and dimensions of their pads as well as how to move them quickly.
Also impressive is Varlamov's split to get back to the post. Technically, it is a very sound save. After the shot goes wide, he turns his head to see that a Leaf's player is going to receive the puck in a shooting position. Because he was watching the puck as it went around the net, he is able to make this save. He then stops skating backwards, plants his right foot so that he can make a strong push and moves right. Next, he gets his pad flat even as he's stretching to get across the crease. His eyes are still tracking the puck as he moves, and he kicks that post to deny any stuffing attempt. Very nice.