Elite goalies don’t just react to shots—they anticipate where the play is going. Reading the rush allows goalies to adjust depth, positioning, and movement before a shot is even taken.
✅ Key Factors When Reading the Rush:
✔️ Puck Carrier’s Body Language – Is he looking to pass or shoot?
✔️ Support Options – Identify trailing players and passing lanes.
✔️ Defensive Gaps – Is the defense forcing a shot, or is a pass likely?
✔️ Shooter’s Blade Position – Reading stick angle can help predict shot type.
📌 Why It Matters: The best goalies are always ahead of the play, not reacting late to it.
In this section of our Goalie Toolbox, we’ll analyze various NHL clips to break down how goalies read and react to rush plays. Every rush is unique. While offensive players are taught to create time and space, and there are trends, goalies can’t rely on assumptions—they must process the play in real-time and make split-second decisions.
By studying recent NHL rush chances, we’ll dissect goalie decision-making, positioning, and depth management to better understand how the game unfolds at high speed—and how you can apply these reads to your own game.
Breaking Down Kevin Lankinen’s Rush Read
First, let’s take a look at this clip from Vancouver’s Kevin Lankinen. Before we break it down, take a moment to analyze the play.
Ask yourself:
Who are the threats?
Where are they positioned?
Does handedness play a role in the scoring options?
What do you think of Lankinen’s decision-making in this situation?
I really like this clip because it highlights high-level goalie IQ on a common play that many youth goalies would handle differently—not because they can’t, but because they haven’t developed this skill yet or aren’t comfortable using it.
Lankinen first recognizes his defensive coverage (Vancouver has four players back) and stays atop his crease to honor Tavares as he moves down the wing, even from a sharp angle.
The real IQ moment happens as Tavares approaches the faceoff dot. Lankinen recognizes:
Tavares is left-handed with the puck on the far side of his body while coming down the left wing.
This positioning puts Tavares in a pass-first situation rather than a prime shooting lane.
Knowing this, Lankinen pivots his back leg into a flat/undersquare position, anticipating a potential pass but still covering the entire net given the depth he has.
Even if Tavares decides to shoot, Lankinen doesn’t need to be perfectly square—from this sharp angle, the puck’s perspective means there’s no net available.
This is a great learning clip because of the high-IQ play off the rush. If Tavares were right-handed coming down the left wing, this would be a completely different conversation. But Lankinen reads the situation exceptionally well, recognizing the true threats on the play, what the puck sees, not just what Tavares sees, and how to take away the shot while staying prepared for a pass. By pivoting undersquare in an overlap position, Lankinen eliminates the shooting lane while setting himself up for an ideal push across the crease if a pass comes.
At first glance, if we froze the frame and only looked at Lankinen’s positioning, it might seem like he’s off-balance or out of position. But when we understand the rush situation, it’s clear he’s actually executed a perfect read—something goalies at every level can learn from.
Breaking Down Joseph Woll’s Rush Chance Save
In this next clip, Joseph Woll of the Toronto Maple Leafs shuts down a dangerous rush chance from the Vancouver Canucks while controlling the play and leaving no rebound.
Before we break it down, take a moment to watch the full sequence.
What stands out to you?
Are you surprised that Woll played aggressively outside his crease throughout the entire clip?
What do you think about his movements and positioning?
I’ve done plenty of breakdowns discussing goalies being too aggressive, misreading situations, and ultimately giving up more goals. This clip, however, is a great example of when aggressive positioning is the right play.
Let’s break it down.
Elias Pettersson enters the zone on a 2-on-2 rush, buying time as he moves toward the middle before cutting wide. Woll stays aggressive, positioned above his crease the entire time, respecting Pettersson’s ability to both shoot and make plays.
Pettersson then drops the puck to a trailing teammate for a slap shot, and Woll makes a strong toe save with no rebound. What stands out here is that Woll never gives up depth. He recognizes:
Toronto’s defense has taken away the net-front threat.
The remaining offensive options (including the eventual shooter) are all positioned in high ice. Even if there was a lateral pass across ice, Woll would have plenty of time to beat the play on his feet, even from aggressive depth.
Given how the play develops, if Woll were even a foot deeper in his crease, this puck likely finds the back of the net.
Another key detail is Woll’s stance and movement. He stays neutral, balanced, and never gets stuck, allowing him to move efficiently and control the play.
I frequently talk about goalies playing too aggressively—because many do. But this clip is a perfect example of when it makes sense to hold depth and play aggressively, using smart reads to recognize where the threats are—and where they aren’t.
Breaking Down Vitek Vanecek’s 2-on-1 Against Dallas
Vitek Vanecek faces a 2-on-1 rush against the Dallas Stars. Before we dive into the breakdown, take a moment to watch the clip a couple of times and analyze the play.
Consider these key questions:
Does Jason Robertson give away that he’s passing at any point?
What do you think about Vanecek’s depth?
Did he take an efficient path to the puck?
How does the shooter’s handedness impact the play?
Let’s watch and break it all down.
This is a classic 2-on-1 rush featuring Jason Robertson, an elite NHL player with two 40-goal seasons under his belt. In the still images capturing Vanecek’s positioning at key moments, we can see that he fully respects Robertson’s shot as he gains the zone and approaches the upper hash.
The Sharks defenseman is slightly playing the shot but starts in a solid position with his body and stick in the passing lane. Even if Robertson were to pass early, Vanecek has read that Roope Hintz is a lefty, meaning he would need to catch and shoot, giving Vanecek a little extra time to get across, though a longer path. Plus, both players are still above the hashes in the first frame, allowing Vanecek to hold aggressive depth while recognizing that Robertson has the skill to pick small openings if given.
Robertson Creates Space—Was the Defenseman’s Read Correct?
In the next image, we see the Sharks defender fully commit to Robertson, who in turn starts committing to the pass. Robertson makes a great read, cutting to the middle to create space for the passing lane.
From a general hockey IQ standpoint, this is a play that only works for a left-handed shooter in this position. A righty in the same spot would have skated directly into the defenseman. Knowing this, it’s not a great read by the Sharks defenseman to allow Robertson to cut and make an open pass. However, Vanecek recognizes the developing play, retreats slightly, and pivots, preparing for the lateral pass.
Did Vanecek Take the Best Path?
Here’s the million-dollar question—did Vanecek take the best route to the save?
His path was okay but could have been more efficient. Ultimately, he makes the save, which is the most important part. But for the sake of learning, there’s a time and place to slide directly to the post and seal off the entire bottom of the net.
On a diagonal pass to a backdoor shooter, the ideal approach is often to get downhill and slide straight to the post. Instead, Vanecek takes a more straight line path. While Hintz’s shot ends up going back toward Vanecek, leaving him in position to make the save, we can see in the final image that if Hintz had placed his shot slightly better, there was room to beat him.
Takeaways from This Play
Watching and dissecting NHL goalies is one of the best ways to improve. They are in the NHL for a reason, but even at the highest level, they still aren’t perfect all the time.
We can learn from the things they get right.
We can also learn from the small mistakes.
This clip is a great example of strong read recognition and solid execution, with a small adjustment that could make Vanecek’s approach even sharper.
Breaking Down Juuse Saros’ Elite Rush Read
I love using examples of smaller goalies in situations like this because it helps young goalies gain confidence in their ability to read plays rather than simply defaulting to certain positions out of fear of not taking up enough net.
This clip of Juuse Saros is a great example of reading the rush and making smart decisions based on what’s developing in front of him.
Before we break it down, take a moment to analyze:
What is Saros reading as the rush enters the zone?
What factors is he considering in his positioning and depth?
At what point does he recognize that Hughes is going to shoot?
Once he makes that read, how does he adjust
What did you notice?
As the rush enters the zone, Saros steps out of his crease to challenge the play. As Hughes moves toward the top of the circle, Saros adjusts his depth conservatively, anticipating a potential pass based on Hughes’ stick position and playmaking ability.
However, we can see that Hughes’ only real passing option is at the point, and even that lane is well-covered by Finland’s defensive structure.
Take a look at these still images before we break it down further.
A couple of frames after Hughes initially appears to be in a passing position, he shifts into a clear shooting stance as seen below—and Saros reads it perfectly.
What does Saros do?
Recognizing the shot, he gains depth to take away any net the puck might see. Let’s break this down further because there are some key details to learn from this clip.
The Fine Line of Moving Into Shots
In general, I’m not a huge fan of pushing into shots. Ideally, a goalie should gain depth, get set, and then drop. However, sometimes there isn’t enough time, and gaining depth while still in motion as the shot is released is unavoidable—just like we see here.
A couple of things to understand when moving into shots like this:
Rebound control becomes more difficult. You may have to fight off the shot instead of absorbing it cleanly.
Quick recovery is crucial. Since you’re giving up more space behind and around you, getting back into position efficiently is key.
Saros executes this well in the full clip, showing elite recovery speed and efficiency.
Why Saros’ Read Is So Effective
This is a great example of a high-level rush read because Saros isn’t just reacting—he’s actively managing the play.
He assesses his defensive coverage and understands where the real threats are.
As soon as Hughes signals a shot with his body positioning, Saros immediately gains depth.
Had Saros stayed at an aggressive depth from the zone entry through the shot, Hughes likely would have tried to:
Look for a tip pass in front.
Hit his trailing teammate in high ice.
Find another way to exploit Saros’ aggressiveness.
Smart Goaltending: Baiting the Shooter
Because Saros reads the play properly, he essentially baits Hughes into taking the shot he wants him to take—a shot that Saros can confidently stop 99% of the time.
This clip is a perfect example of high-level goaltending IQ, where smart reads and subtle depth adjustments force the shooter into a lower-percentage play.
