The Hockey File

You’ve seen lob shots go in on the goaltender before, but they’re usually unintentional shots that just happened to go in. Daniel Sedin, however, had every intention of scoring when he sent this magnificent lob right over the heads of teammate Alex Burrows and Anaheim Duck defender Scott Niedermayer and past a bemused Jonas Hiller to give the Vancouver Canucks a 2-0 lead en route to a 4-1 victory on Wednesday night.

Something tells me that this was a set play, as Sedin released his shot just as Burrows skated past Hiller, ensuring that Hiller wouldn’t be able to see the shot. It was also the perfect shot selection by Sedin, since the quick release meant that Hiller wouldn’t be able to get into the position to stop the shot (as opposed to the more traditional screen + slap shot that’s somewhat easier to read). There was also an element of deception involved since Sedin’s casual skating meant no Duck- including, most importantly, Hiller- expected a shot, making it easier for Sedin to sneak the puck into the net. I hope plays like this catch on, because creativity like this is sorely lacking in today’s NHL- there’s so much open ice in the game today, yet too many teams are caught in the old “dump and chase”, North-South game the league played for so long before the lockout. Mix it up a little, you might score a few goals.

Until then, admire Sedin’s display of beauty.

-DG

# posted by Vicendum : 12:24 AM