'They make my job easy': Breaking down the brilliance of Ben Bishop and Anton Khudobin - The Dallas Morning News

The Stars understand the luxury they have.

With Ben Bishop and Anton Khudobin on the roster, Dallas owns arguably the league’s best goaltending tandem and undoubtedly the best one in the Western Conference. Bishop led the NHL in save percentage in 2018-19, a .934 mark in 46 games. Khudobin led the NHL in save percentage in 2019-20, a .930 mark in 30 games.

Ordinarily, once the playoffs rolled around, the advantage of a stellar backup goaltender washes away. The starting goaltender absorbs all the starts as the backup slips into an as-needed role. Bishop started all 13 playoff games for the Stars last year. Tuukka Rask in Boston and Jordan Binnington in St. Louis each started all of their team’s games during their runs to the Stanley Cup Final.

That might not be the case this season.

The NHL has already laid out its return to play plan in hub cities, but has not specified what sort of timeline the qualifying (best of five) and four playoff rounds (best of seven) would follow. It could be reasoned, though, that because of the concern over coronavirus, and the lack of travel involved in the series, that the schedule will be tightened.

Perhaps back to backs are on the table to speed games along. Maybe two-day breaks between playoff games (commonplace in the postseason) are no more. That would give the Stars a huge advantage being able to roll out Khudobin against either an inferior backup goalie or a tired No. 1 in a condensed schedule.

To further understand how Bishop and Khudobin are successful and how that may look moving forward into the NHL’s potentially tightened playoff schedule, The News enlisted Stars goaltending coach Jeff Reese’s help in breaking down his two goalies. Over a Zoom call with screen sharing of game clips, we reviewed 10 different saves — five from Bishop and five from Khudobin — to point out the subtleties that help make up potentially the league’s best goaltending duo.

“The two of them, it makes my job a lot easier,” Reese said. “They’re obviously both great athletes. The biggest thing for me is just to be able to understand them, and different personalities. The way we interact and communicate is a little bit different with each guy. But they make my job easy. Just look at the saves they’re making.”

Bishop on Nathan MacKinnon, at Colorado on Jan. 14

Cale Makar leads a 3-on-2 rush for Colorado that ends with Nathan MacKinnon’s shot on Bishop from just below the hash marks in the slot. Bishop doesn’t have much time to get over to his right, but does close the gap in time to shut down MacKinnon’s shot that would have given the Avalanche a 3-1 lead in the third period of a game the Stars ultimately won in overtime.

“That was a hell of a save,” Reese said. “The reason he makes this save is because he’s so patient. A lot of guys would have dropped down. If he drops early, he has no chance to make that save. The fact that he’s patient right there, that’s why he’s able to make that save, and just barely gets to it. He didn’t drop early, so now he’s able to get a push across. If he drops early there, it’s going to be very difficult.”

Reese said Bishop’s positioning at the top of the crease was correct, and Bishop’s positioning is something that is a key part of his game. Many times, Bishop will not make the flashy save, but he’ll be in the right position so that he doesn’t have to make a sprawled save.

“They need to have patience,” Reese said. “You need to try to stay on your feet as long as you can. I know a lot people see the goalies going down, they just go down. I don’t want a goalie to go down until the shot’s actually taken. There’s a perfect example. I think as you get older, you start becoming more patient. Your reads start to get better. Just your experience, you can become more patient.”

Bishop on Mikko Rantanen, vs. Colorado on Dec. 28

Bishop had some of his best games this season against the Avalanche, so it’s not surprising to see Colorado on here again. On this play, Bishop makes the initial save on a screened point shot, and the rebound goes to his left close to the goalline. Mikko Rantanen collects it and directs a forehand shot on net, but Bishop to able to get over and close off the opening.

“If there’s just one guy in front of him, he’ll step out even a little further [on the initial point shot,” Reese said. “But for the most part, I want him in that area right there. I want him fighting to find pucks. For plays like this that maybe hit a defenseman or hit a forward, ricochet to either side, he’s able to recover. He has such an advantage there because of his size. He can get away with that.”

At 6-7, Bishop is able to play deeper in the net (instead of a smaller goalie that has to come out farther to cut down angles), and that allows him to cover ground more quickly.

“The only thing I don’t love about this save is he gets out too far, but it’s more of a desperation save, so he’s just trying to get over there,” Reese said. “Because he’s so big, he has an advantage, he can play a little bit deeper. I’d like to see him maybe push back towards the post a little bit more there, but that’s getting a little picky. I’m not really one to get picky. He does everything really well, makes the save. Now if that puck hits him and goes back into the slot, he wouldn’t really have a chance to make another save.”

Bishop on Craig Smith, Winter Classic vs. Nashville on Jan. 1

The Stars are already trailing 2-0 at this point, and Smith is camped out alone in front of the net. After a point shot finds its way through, Smit deflects it and then tries to stuff in the rebound. Bishop denies him both times.

“In a perfect world, if that wasn’t tipped, he probably puts that rebound in the corner,” Reese said. “But because it was tipped, now you have two chances. His position is pretty good there. Normally, he might be out a little bit more, but this is a good save here obviously. Then it’s just a rebound save. This is something we do in practice daily. Really, what you want him doing there is getting up and pushing off on the right leg to the left side. It’s a bang bang play, but it’s two really good saves. The second save is even better because the first one was deflected.

“Deflections are very, very difficult to control. You want to make the save. You want to close up. You don’t want any pucks sneaking through. Then you’ve got to be ready. Look at Bish, pretty good balance here. That was a big save because that would have made it 3-0.”

Bishop on Vladislav Kamenev, at Colorado on Jan. 14

This was a game in which Bishop made 41 saves as the Stars won in overtime and this was another third-period sequence that kept Dallas in the game. Bishop gets over in position for an Ian Cole one-timer, pushing the rebound to the corner. Then as Nazem Kadri collects the puck, Bishop puts his stick on the ice to protect against a pass before Vladislav Kamenev hits him with a shot.

““His position is terrific right now, I want Bish to beat the pass [to Cole],” Reese said. “You see how he’s already over there and set? I don’t want him moving as the shot’s coming there. I want him over and set. Whether it be a loose puck or a pass, I want him to push hard, be set and then just be sitting there waiting for the shot.”

Reese said he doesn’t mind goalies playing with their sticks to break up passes (both Bishop and Khudobin do it) as long as they’re not reaching.

“Bish and I would talk about this,” Reese said. “I don’t love that position. He’s actually probably thinking there’s someone coming into the slot or backdoor, and he gets reaching a little bit, which I don’t like. But he gets a good push here off the post and he’s such a big body that it just hits him.”

Bishop on Nico Hischier, at New Jersey on Feb. 1

Hischier is sprung on a breakaway in overtime and tries to beat Bishop between his legs. Bishop closes it down and covers up. The Stars later win on Joe Pavelski’s overtime goal.

“You want to get out and get a little bit of flow back and just be as patient as you can,” Reese said. “And he was very patient on that save. … He doesn’t have to come out as far as a lot of guys because of his size, but you still want to have a little bit of flow obviously. Dobby probably would have been a little more aggressive.”

Khudobin on Dominik Kubalik, vs. Chicago on Nov. 23

You’ve probably seen this one before. It’s a full split, post to post save on Dominik Kubalik and subsequent stuff attempts by Andrew Shaw. Khudobin stole two points for the Stars this afternoon with 38 saves and Dallas prevailed in a shootout, but this was the lasting image from this game.

“That might have been the best save of the year, I think for Dobby,” Reese said. “That was just pure Dobby. That was pure compete there, and strength. Dobby’s very strong, but that’s just pure compete.”

It starts with Khudobin playing Shaw below the dot, and playing as if Shaw is going to redirect a shot on net instead of cutting a pass backwards to Kubalik on the backdoor.

“Right here, he’s got to honor that shot, that’s why his foot is beyond the post,” Reese said. “He has to think that he’s going to shoot this puck right here, just going to chip it towards the net. Instead he goes backdoor. … Now, as a goalie, you’re thinking ‘Uh oh,’ for lack of a better term.”

Because Khudobin has to play Shaw’s potential shot, his foot isn’t on the post, and his explosive push across the crease comes without the aid of the post. Then after the puck isn’t cleared, Khudobin has to used anything in his toolbox to keep the puck out of the net.

“Watch him when he hits the back of the net,” Reese said. “I think he feels the puck under him, so he’s pushing off the back of the net to try to make sure that puck doesn’t cross the line. That’s Dobby. That’s Dobby right there.”

Khudobin on Connor McDavid, vs. Edmonton on March 3

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins dances around Denis Gurianov, then draws a tripping penalty on Esa Lindell before dishing the puck to a wide open Connor McDavid on the side of the crease. Khudobin again explodes from side to side to rob McDavid with his glove to extend the game.

“Watch how patient he is right here [with Nugent-Hopkins nearing the slot],” Reese said. “A lot of guys would have thought ‘Okay, he’s going to shoot that puck’ and drop. If Dobby drops here, he doesn’t make the save. But because he’s still on his feet, that’s how he makes that save.

“He also tracks that puck well with his head. If you watch his head, he’s right on it. He’s reaching a bit, but he’s getting a lot of his body over there as well. The only reason he’s able to do that is because he was patient. That’s it. For young goalies watching, you want to hold your feet as long as you can. You see all these goalies butterflying, but wait for the shot. Then you go down and make the save. Both our guys hold their feet.”

From the clip, it looks like Khudobin is solely focused on Nugent-Hopkins, but he’s clearly aware of McDavid lurking.

“If he didn’t see McDavid there, Dobby’s probably at the top of the crease, probably out a little bit further,” Reese said. “If he’s out another foot, he probably doesn’t make that save, even if he is patient.”

Khudobin on Cedric Paquette, at Tampa Bay on Dec. 19

Khudobin made 45 saves this night against the Lightning, including a bevy of upper-echelon saves on the power play, on odd-man rushes and on rebounds.

“He was making 10-bellers look like routine saves,” Reese said.

On this play, Khudobin is playing a 3-on-1 with Pat Maroon carrying the puck down the wing. He makes the initial save on Maroon and then stops Cedric Paquette on the rebound by laying out across the crease. Reese said Khudobin has to honor Maroon’s shot and trust that Esa Lindell can take care of the other two players.

“He has to,” Reese said. “You get to a point, there’s got to be trust. There’s got to be trust that Esa’s going to take that pass. Then we’ve got a backchecker here, there’s got to be some trust. But he’s got to honor the shot here.”

On the rebound, Paquette spins around to get the puck on his forehand, allowing Khudobin a split-second to get over to the other side.

“He thinks there’s going to be a shot right away here,” Reese said. “He’s thinking desperately ‘I’ve got to get over there.’ When the shot doesn’t come right away, now he’s trying to get more of his body over there. That’s not the way we want to make saves, but it was just kind of a broken play. It wasn’t just a normal shot rebound.

“These guys have done [shot rebound drills] since they were kids. So it’s almost just a natural thing now, muscle memory.”

Khudobin on Teuvo Teravainen, vs. Carolina on Feb. 11

Khudobin makes an initial save and then dives to his left to glove a rebound chance by Teravainen that would have given the Hurricanes a one-goal lead at the first intermission.

In this case, did Reese think this rebound by Khudobin was a bad one that led to the spectacular save on the other side of the net?

“That’s a scoring chance,” Reese said. “If it hits him more in the belly, possibly. But it hits him up by the throat. It hits him pretty high. He’s just trying to make himself big there so he doesn’t get beat by the original scoring chance. Do I say that’s a bad rebound? Absolutely not. Absolutely not. Now if the shot is outside, top of the circle, then yeah, maybe not a great rebound.

“In that situation, you expect a shot right away on the rebound. There’s the shot, there’s the rebound. You expect the guy just to bang at it, especially with the D here. Then he makes a move. Now it just becomes compete. In a perfect world, we’d want to push over with the right leg and try to get as much of your body over there as you can. It’s a great move, and it’s an ever better save.”

Khudobin on Anthony Duclair, at Ottawa on Feb. 16

Like most of these saves, this one by Khudobin saves the day for the Stars. Less than five minutes left in a tied game, and Anthony Duclair collects a puck behind Miro Heiskanen and Stephen Johns. Duclair puts a move on Khudobin, but isn’t able to put the puck past him.

“Normally Dobby would be more aggressive, but that was a bang bang play that happened very fast, it was a quick breakaway,” Reese said. “He’s very good on breakaways. That one there is more about compete with Dobby. That’s Dobby right there. That’s a 3-3 game, and that’s pure compete. … It’s a pretty good move and Dobby’s pretty flexible, but then it’s just about competing, doing everything he can to keep the puck out of the net.”

Bishop and Khudobin handle preparation for breakaways and shootouts differently, which is just part of how different the two Stars goalies are.

“I have two goalies that they’re the same age, but that’s probably the only thing they have in common,” Reese said. “One is 6-7. The other is 5-11. They’re completely different personalities. Bish studies the shooter. He watches a lot of hockey, he studies the shooter. You have Bish who wants to know a lot of information before a game. Then you have Dobby who wants just to go play. He wants to have his mind clear and just go compete. That works for him, and the other works for Bish.”

Find more Stars stories from The Dallas Morning News here.

Let's block ads! (Why?)

"easy" - Google News
June 08, 2020 at 03:13AM
https://ift.tt/3h30wKn

'They make my job easy': Breaking down the brilliance of Ben Bishop and Anton Khudobin - The Dallas Morning News
"easy" - Google News
https://ift.tt/38z63U6
Shoes Man Tutorial
Pos News Update
Meme Update
Korean Entertainment News
Japan News Update

Bagikan Berita Ini