That's a very good and interesting question but I think if you ask multiple goalies or goalie coaches that question you would probably get some differences of opinion on how Murray should have played that complex situation.
I'll try to explain my opinion .......
- First, two premises ..... 1) You always want to be on the best angle/position at all times to have the best chance of making the save .... so one question is, was he in the best position from where the puck was eventually shot at the time it was shot? .... and ..... 2) You always want to see the puck, if possible, or the chances of making the save becomes less so looking for the puck is very important and advisable to me, so I was fine with Murray looking for the puck ...... if you don't see the puck clearly when it is shot, all you can do is try to get in the best position where you think the puck is coming and hope it hits you or hope you see it on the way in so you can react to it.
- OK, so on the play you are talking about, there was a battle for the puck way out in the corner along the boards near the goal line to Murray's right .... his options at that point were to be on the post standing up on his skates watching for a pass or shot out of the corner or get down in the reverse-VH position on the ice on the post which is best used for wrap arounds and now popular to defend against bad angle shots ...... either is OK at that point, he chose to go reverse-VH, I would have preferred he stand up on the post because it was more likely there would have been a pass out of the corner then a shot on goal and I think it is better and easier to change positions in response to a pass out of the corner when you are standing on your skates then when you are down on your pads, but he was OK in either position ......
- Now the problem starts ...... the puck came out of the corner to an opponent in the lower circle to Murray's right between the face-off dot and the lower edge of the circle (nearer the goal line) and was shot from about one foot inside the lower circle and about 12 feet or so from the goalie....... Murray was screened and bent down to look around the screen to find the puck when at the same time the shooter shot a perfect shot over Murray's right (near) shoulder about one inch under the cross bar and a couple inches inside the near post ...... the shot was basically perfect and likely beats Murray even if he isn't bent over as in the reverse-VH position the goalie is vulnerable to shots over the near shoulder (there is almost always some opening) ...... on wrap arounds and close in bad angle shots, that opening over the near shoulder is not usually a problem as the shooter can't elevate the puck and get it through that opening, however, the farther away from the goalie and the farther from the goal line the shooter gets, the more vulnerable the goalie gets to a shot over the near shoulder when in the reverse-VH position or a shot to the far side.
- When the puck came out from the corner into the circle, it would no longer be considered a bad angle shot and the goalie being on the post either standing or in the reverse-VH would no longer be on the best angle or position for the shot ..... when the puck came out into the circle, Murray needed to transition off the post and out of the reverse-VH position going out square toward the puck to cut down the angle to prevent a goal over his shoulder ...... unfortunately, he was in a precarious situation with a screen in front of him making it difficult for him to come out off the post toward the shooter to cut the angle down, also he couldn't see the puck, and a perfect shot went in over his near shoulder when he bent down to look for the puck ..... I think it goes in even if he doesn't bend down and I have no problem with him trying to look for the puck as he did.
