His post work is a lot better. And I suspect part of the reason is that he has to cheat less because the D structure is good and there are a lot less cross slot opportunities being afforded.
Sutter goalies tend to have high save percentages because he puts them in a position to succeed. See that PP goal by Tkachuk from Monahan and Lindholm ? Carter Hart was spinning like a top. Flames haven’t been letting that happen
Add to it that Markstrom is very much dialed in. He’s able to get square and set for a lot of shots, and when they try to find spots around him, he is tracking and responding well
Sprinkle in the odd diving paddle save and you have a pretty impressive year to date
You can tell he is playing well and looks to be in a good place mentally, as far as the game goes
I think last year was a bit chicken and egg. Playing behind a sloppy team, trying to play a blocking style when your D are allowing too much, and not cleaning up rebounds, is not a combination destined for success.
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