As voted by NHL goalies: Top five breakaway (not shootout!) artists in the league today

Mike McKenna
Mike McKenna(MikeMcKenna56)
As voted by NHL goalies: Top five breakaway (not shootout!) artists in the league today
Credit: © Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports

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Breakaways and shootout attempts – they’re not as similar as one might think. Sure, they’re both 1-on-1, goaltender versus player. But from my own experience in the crease, I always found in-game breakaways much more difficult to stop than shootout attempts.

And that got me thinking: which NHL players are most feared on a breakaway? Again, not the shootout. Actual in-game situations where the player is clear of any defensive pressure.

So I polled a group of current NHL goaltenders – with combined experience of more than 2,400 games – to come up with a top-five list of the league’s top breakaway artists.

To me, the plays are vastly different. Breakaways are instinctual. There isn’t much time for the player to think about what move to make. And there’s the constant fear of a backchecker catching up.

But shootout attempts? Players have all the time in the world. They can formulate a plan in advance. Get a read on the goaltender. And ultimately, approach the net as fast as they please.

Or in the case of Carolina forward Andrei Svechnikov, as slowly as desired. The Hurricanes sniper is four for five during the 2022-23 NHL season, and boasts a 10 for 17 career mark. Yet Svechnikov only received one vote from the goalies I sampled.

Full disclosure: I never faced a shootout in the NHL. I did, however, allow my fair share of breakaway goals. And I did, as a member of the New Jersey Devils, stop Montreal Canadiens forward Tomáš Plekanec on the only penalty shot I faced.

The rest of my breakaway and shootout experience came in the minors. But it still translates. I felt an element of control during shootouts. I could pace the player and match his speed. But in a game setting, I found it much more difficult to get out of my crease and be patient.

The biggest reason for this poll was to find out which NHL players make goalies nervous during a game. Because there’s no bigger moment than a clean breakaway.

Let’s take a look at the top-five breakaway artists in the NHL – in random order – according to the goaltenders who face them on a nightly basis.

Patrick Kane, Blackhawks

Kane’s hands are disturbingly fast. He’s able to disguise the puck with his stickhandling, making his next move incredibly difficult for goalies to predict. Kane didn’t make every goalie’s list, but of the ones he did, he was near the top.

Despite his fearsome reputation, Kane has only converted on 39.5 percent of shootout attempts during his career. That’s still a respectable mark, but it’s lower than one might expect from arguably the league’s best stickhandler.

So maybe his inclusion on this list makes sense. Goalies have all seen the videos of Kane stickhandling through a thousand pucks on the ice. And that’s intimidating.

Nikita Kucherov, Lightning

Kucherov is another example of a player who isn’t great in shootout – he’s scored on just 12 of 41 attempts – but can finish breakaways. And the goalies polled took notice.

What sets Kucherov apart on breakaways is how he disguises the shot. It’s hard to read off the blade: goalies can’t tell if he’s going blocker or glove side. And he prefers to shoot in the bottom half of the net, most often just above the goaltenders pads.

Kucherov’s quick release and accuracy make him dangerous. But he’s also not afraid to make a quick move and tuck the puck five-hole. Kucherov has layers to his breakaway game that keep the goalie guessing.

Aleksander Barkov, Panthers

I have firsthand experience with Barkov. We shared several training camps with the Florida Panthers. And I spent a couple of weeks on the NHL team’s roster during my two-year stint with the franchise. In neither instance was I able to figure out Barkov on a breakaway.

A few years later, that spilled over into game action when I was playing for the Ottawa Senators, and Barkov roasted me on a clean look from just inside the red line. So knowing that today’s NHL goaltenders believe that Barkov is toward the top of the breakaway list provides me some comfort. 

It’s all about hands and smarts for Barkov. He can elevate the puck in tight. His hands are world class. And he’s able to make adjustments on the fly. Barkov’s peripheral vision is some of the best I’ve ever seen. No wonder he’s also scored on 44.8 percent of shootout attempts during his career.

Brayden Point, Lightning

The clip above is the quintessential Point breakaway goal. Breakneck speed. Split the defense. Go in alone on the goaltender from the top of the circle. Most of Point’s breakaways are created within a confined area, meaning that they originate within the offensive zone.

And that’s exactly what makes him so hard for a goalie to stop. Point attacks with such speed that it’s difficult for the goalie to match it.

Point isn’t a one-trick pony when he gets to the net. He prefers to make a move and go around the goaltender. But Point also isn’t afraid to shoot when he sees an opening. He’s one of the NHL’s most dangerous players on the rush for good reason. And to think: the Lightning have two players featured on this list. No wonder they’ve won two of the past three Stanley Cups.

Connor McDavid, Oilers

No surprise here: the world’s greatest hockey player also happens to be the NHL’s most feared breakaway artist. Every goalie surveyed had him on their list. And most had the Oilers captain at number one.

Everything about McDavid screams deadly on a breakaway. From his explosiveness, to how quickly he can move the puck side to side, to the accuracy of his shot – McDavid is a nightmare for opposing goaltenders.

In his 537-game NHL career, McDavid has scored on 46.2 percent of shootout attempts. But what really stands out is that the Edmonton center has 14 game winning goals in overtime – many of which were scored on breakaways.

Simply put: McDavid is the most feared player in the NHL when he’s alone with the puck.

BEST OF THE REST

Artemi Panarin just missed the cut, which isn’t surprising. He’s converted on 23 of 36 shootout bids in his career – the best in the NHL among players with more than 20 attempts. Nathan MacKinnon, David Pastrnak, and Nick Suzuki were all popular choices. Tage Thompson got noticed, as did Chris Kreider and Auston Matthews. One surprising name to receive a vote? Sebastian Aho of the Carolina Hurricanes.

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