Quote:
Originally Posted by kirant
The only thing that Shootout shows us is exactly who type of player Irving is. He's a positional goaltender who does well when he's set up. I always compare him to a calm Jonas Hiller in this regard. If he improves his vision and rebound control, I suspect he'll be one of those goaltenders who's not going to let soft goals get by him and will make stops through unbelievable traffic.
That being said, Irving has been known to struggle if the game loses a calm pace. When he's forced to move a lot, he'll misread plays and take the wrong option. This is something we'll have to differentiate him from Kiprusoff in: where Kiprusof will excel due to excellent mental conditioning and strong leg movement, Irving will struggle. The shootout just showed us how much Irving relies on the system in front of him. Kiprusoff isn't any better, but for different reasons (that Kiprusoff is extremely passive in shootouts - when he actively makes mini poke checks, he can force shots into his legs).
In terms of the game, Irving and Hudler got them a point, but the couldn't get the second point alone.
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Was this the case in the WHL/AHL?
He does look slow compared to Kiprusoff, but Kiprusoff is in a class of his own.