Analysis: Why Eric Comrie stunned the Edmonton Oilers – and why he can do it again
If Buffalo Sabres goaltender Eric Comrie didn’t have your attention before posting a 46-save, 4-2 victory over the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday night, he should now.
Comrie stole the game for Buffalo. And I think he’ll repeat that type of performance more than once during the course of the 2022-23 NHL season.
According to Natural Stat Trick, high danger chances at all strengths were 27-10 in favor of the Oilers. Edmonton dominated the game at even strength. Yet Comrie stood tall, especially in the third period when the Sabres goaltender stopped 22 of 23 shots faced.
The first time I ever saw Comrie play in person was at the 2016 AHL All-Star Classic in Syracuse, New York. It was my first (and only) appearance in an AHL All-Star game, despite it being my 10th season of professional hockey. Comrie was a rookie. Which probably says a lot about our respective career paths.
I remember looking down the ice and seeing this fresh-faced kid who didn’t look old enough to buy a drink after the game. But what really struck me was how strong of a skater Comrie was. At just 21 years old, his power was impressive.
But I also thought Comrie was a little out of control. And that he played flat to the goal line too often. He had a tendency to get beat by bad angle shots because he didn’t always get square to the shooter.
Watching Comrie now, I’m impressed with how far he’s come with his movements. Before this year began, I took a look at some of his clips from last season with the Winnipeg Jets and marveled at how detailed his game was. Comrie starts and stops. He rarely drifts. And unlike in the past, he now handles bad-angle plays with efficiency.
But in my opinion, the most important part of Comrie’s game is how patient he is on his edges. And how hard he fights to get back to them after a save.
In both of these clips, Comrie faces a situation where he could have easily stayed down in the butterfly. Instead, he fights to get back up on his feet. Why? Because it’s faster – and easier – to move when a goalie is standing and balanced.
When goaltenders stay down on their knees, it adds steps to the save-making process when a puck moves laterally. Which happens often when the play is tight and near the crease. The goalie has to rotate, lift the back knee, push, then (hopefully) make a save.
From a standing position, the goalie can rotate and push simultaneously, eliminating a step. And moving into the shot becomes much more efficient. The goalie can drop off-center in a controlled manner, whereas pushing from a down position often results in a dramatic slide that can be difficult to control. Goalies can lose the net quickly from over-pushing.
Comrie knows that even if a puck is free five feet away from him in the slot, there’s a good chance the shot will come from a different location. I think that’s why the Edmonton native is so diligent about getting back up to his edges. Doing so helps him maintain a level of control.
On all three shots featured in the clip, Comrie arrived early with his feet and was square to the shooter. The saves looked easy because his precise skating routes put him ahead of the play.
At 6-foot-1, Comrie is an undersized goaltender. The average height of an NHL netminder eclipsed 6-foot-2 long ago. So it’s also important for Comrie to get to his basic stance whenever possible purely from a presentation standpoint. He needs to be upright in order to fill the net visually.
I think Comrie has become a very patient goaltender with age. And his technique helps. But what it really comes down to is goalie IQ. Comrie reads the play extremely well.
On a break like the clip shown above, a lot of goaltenders will end up automatically dropping into the butterfly with both knees on the ice. Their stance will widen out as the player approaches, giving away the upper portion of the net and making it difficult to adjust laterally.
That’s not Comrie. He has a vertical patience to his game that I find really impressive. He makes the breakaway save look easy. Comrie stayed on his edges as long as possible and read the high shot early. He was able to fill space without doing anything drastic.
Patience and control are so difficult to teach. Especially in tight situations when play gets hectic. But last night against Edmonton, Comrie excelled in these scenarios.
When the Oilers managed to get inside, Comrie did a great job of sealing the ice with his pads and using his hands to fill the vertical space above. And he did so without panic.
Watching Comrie last season, I saw that same calmness. And I think it’s a big reason why he was able to post a .920 save percentage in 19 appearances with the Jets. Comrie is calculated and will only go into desperation mode when necessary.
The 27-year old from Alberta will likely get his first taste of No.1 action this season with Buffalo. He’s going to have to earn starts with veteran netminder Craig Anderson pushing him. But I become more impressed by Comrie each time I watch him play.
Details don’t happen without putting in the work. Comrie has spent countless hours on the ice in a No. 2 role honing his craft. And I think his play is going to impress a lot of people this year.
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