Analysis: In defense of Mike Smith and Robin Lehner…
On Edmonton Oilers goaltender Mike Smith’s breakdancing…
Sunday’s game between the Edmonton Oilers and Anaheim Ducks wasn’t ever close. The Oilers poured it on from the beginning, scoring their first goal less than five minutes into the match. They ended up winning 6-1 over the Ducks at the Honda Center.
Goaltender Mike Smith featured well for the Oilers, stopping 31 of 32 shots en route to his ninth win of the season. But what caught the attention of many was a wild sequence midway through the third period where Smith tumbled all around his crease before finally snaring the puck with his glove.
can… can someone please check on mike smith? pic.twitter.com/oReylW5lSo
— zach laing (@zjlaing) April 4, 2022I know this sequence looks totally bonkers. And from the crease, it probably felt exactly the same to Smith. But there are valid reasons why Smith does what he does.
It all starts when Ducks forward Sam Carrick drives wide, and Smith chooses to front the shot by staying square to the puck in a tight butterfly slide to his post. This is fine if Carrick shoots. Smith doesn’t have any holes. But Carrick decides to carry the puck past the net, and Smith’s perpendicular alignment to the boards conspires against him.
Most goaltenders would choose to use the reverse VH post integration in this instance. Proper RVH alignment is about 30 degrees to the goal line, which makes it easier for the goaltender to reach across the crease with a pad.
But with Smith aggressively playing Carrick at 90 degrees to the goal line, he doesn’t have time for his right leg to swivel back and reach to the far post. His only option is to spin to his right, then dive headfirst across the crease.
Smith is smart to drop his stick during this play. In doing so, it prevents the near post from interfering with his soccer-style dive. Smith is also adhering to a sacred goaltending adage: when in doubt, seal the ice. His main concern is keeping Carrick from wrapping the puck into the net along the ice.
From there, a second panic moment occurs. Smith isn’t sure where the puck is, so he remains stationary on the ice. It’s yet another goalie adage: if you think the puck might be underneath you, don’t move. The last thing you want to do is put it back into your own net.
It doesn’t take long for Smith to realize the puck went through the crease to the far boards. But by then, the puck is headed to Anaheim defenseman Jamie Drysdale, who’s stationed at the offensive blueline.
By now, Smith has endured three panic points. As soon as he sees Drydsale receive the puck at the point, he knows a shot is coming in short order. So Smith makes the decision to stay on his backside.
It might look weird. It might even look lazy. But it’s not. It’s smart. By staying on his backside, Smith is able to keep his eyes on the puck and see it all the way into his glove. If he tries to get up, the shot might come at exactly the same time. And it’s impossible to be reactive in that scenario.
From a technical standpoint, the only fault I can find is Smith choosing to play Carrick in a tight butterfly at the start of the sequence instead of RVH. But even then, I’m not sure RVH would have been the right choice. There would have likely been small holes that Carrick could have exploited, especially high under the crossbar.
I know this 20-second clip looks messy. And it is. But Smith found a way to keep his eyes attached to the puck and ultimately, made the save.
Sometimes you have to grind.
On Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Alec Martinez scoring on his own goaltender, Robin Lehner…
William Karlsson wins a key faceoff on a 5-on-3 penalty kill aaaaaand Alec Martinez tips it between Robin Lehner's legs. pic.twitter.com/ATvNlIrwpf
— Ryan Gilbert (@RGilbertSOP) April 4, 2022On Sunday night, this goal by Vancouver Canucks center Bo Horvat tied the game at two with just under 10 minutes remaining in the third period. And predictably, the Twitter world went wild with criticism for Golden Knights netminder Robin Lehner.
One problem: it was absolutely, unequivocally, not a bad goal against.
The first thing I want people to keep in mind: the replay is in slow motion. In real time, it happens so fast. Especially for goaltender Robin Lehner, who simply did not have enough time to react to deflection off Martinez’s stick.
The goal against can be chalked up to hard luck for the Golden Knights. Centerman William Karlsson wins the faceoff clean. Martinez is trying to corral the loose puck. And Lehner is ready to stop the initial shot with his glove behind his stick – an extra layer of protection in case the puck bounces.
In a perfect world, the puck gets to Lehner and he’s able to shepherd it to his left, which would allow Martinez to turn to his forehand and clear the puck down the ice. But fate intervenes. Call it unlucky if you wish, or a bad bounce. Either description applies.
But it’s completely asinine to suggest that Lehner somehow bungled the play. He’s trying to control the initial rebound. And there’s no way Lehner has enough time to close the five-hole. Every NHL goaltender would have handled it similarly.
I can tell you firsthand that every pro netminder has had a teammate accidentally deflect a harmless puck past them. It happens. But we’d also tell you Martinez was trying to do the right thing, that the goal was a fluke. And truthfully, it was.
NHL players are so consistent with their craft that when something goofy happens, it’s hard to comprehend. How could the best players in the world allow such an innocuous goal?
Because sometimes, they just do. And there’s no one to blame. The Golden Knights fought on and ended up winning 3-2 against the Canucks in overtime.