hey dude what do you think of Howard's rebound control overall? These playoffs are the most I've seen of him all year so I probably don't have the big picture but it seems to me that he often gives up some pretty juicy rebounds...I dunno if I'm imagining it or not but he seems to boot pucks out a lot when he should be trying to swallow them up and absorb them
Jimmy Howard's rebound control isn't great, but compared to where it was last year, it has improved by leaps and bounds.
The thing with Howard is that he challenges to such a degree that if you shoot the puck on him at a direct angle, he's going to either swallow it whole or put the puck in the corner.
You have to attack him from an angle that forces him to move laterally (push left or right). He is a quick goalie, but he's not that strong at setting his feet and squaring up. He has an appearance of being a little heavy on his feet, he's not light on his toes like Rask and goalies like Miller, etc.
Most of the goals he allows I notice come when the puck's angle is changed in the slot area and he's forced to move his body at the last minute.
The Red Wings, being the smart cookies that they are, know Howard's style and what makes him successful. They play every odd-man rush in such a way that Howard will hopefully face a direct shot, they try as much as possible to not allow that cross-ice or cross-crease pass.
Other teams must start to recognize that Howard's extreme challenging will cause him to commit too soon if players come in and throw a deke his way. Shooting at Howard straight on is about as smart as flipping the puck into the stands. Toss him a shoulder fake, make a pass or swing behind the net ..... but don't just shoot it at him. He attacks shooters and forces them to make perfect shots. But once you throw a deke and get him to commit, he's toast.
The rebound control is good when his feet are set. He doesn't set his feet as fast as a lot of goalies do. Get him to move and that's when he struggles. Shots against the grain also cause him a lot of rebound problems.
Okay we are at the point where there's only one game each day. The Beast Tracker is being updated as usual. Thanks to everyone who is checking it out and using it as a resource. You can learn a lot if you pay attention!
After the Stanley Cup is over I'll probably do a Beast Tracker recap, so we can look at what we've learned for goalies and their future.
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