Evgeny Kuznetsov has become nearly automatic in the shootout, utilizing a move where he approaches the net at a tortoise-like pace. The Russian centerman has scored on eight of his last nine attempts dating back to March 25, 2022. His only miss still beat the goaltender, clanking off the post.
When I asked Kuznetsov why he thought his shootout move worked so well last year, he responded, “I don’t know to be honest with you.” His answer has evolved much more since then.
While doing his tell-all interview over the summer with Slippery Ice (which was then transcribed by sports.ru), Kuznetsov fully explained why he goes so slow and the benefits of doing so.
“Well, firstly, it irritates the goalkeeper, and irritates everyone, right?” Kuznetsov said per a Google Translation. “I used to drive faster and often hit the post. And then I realized that when you go fast, the goalkeeper can keep up with you and simply catch the pace. But here it’s different. It’s easier for me to hit.
“When you are driving at (your) speed, everything is clear for you. And when you drive slower, you troll (the goaltender) a little bit. He stands there for two hours, catching, and then they throw this kind of crap at him. It’s psychology.”
Kuznetsov said that he stares directly into the goaltender’s eyes when he’s approaching the goal and always looks to shoot under the goaltender’s blocker like he did with his most recent successful attempt on Jacob Markstrom. The Flames goaltender, who knew the shot was coming in that exact place, was still was unable to stop it, appearing to curse afterward.
“You try to wait for the exact moment when he twitches first,” Kuznetsov said. “If he doesn’t twitch, then you move the puck further. His patience is running out – and then you need to see when the right leg moves forward.”
Kuznetsov also says he has options if blocker-side is closed.
“If he gets there, then you can just shoot at him under his catching glove right away,” Kuznetsov said. “But it’s hard to cover there, because when I’m driving, I hold the puck in front of me. I move not from the side, but in front of me.”
Kuznetsov is difficult to read because of this and his shooting angle constantly changes due to the direct way he approaches.
While the slow pace Kuznetsov uses is clearly within NHL shootout rules, the move is controversial across the league and has received criticism for the unwritten rules it’s breaking.
Former NHL official Tim Peel offered this take on X Tuesday while promoting his podcast. (Oops, I accidentally hit the bold button there.)
“I’m sure this will be a hot topic with Colin Campbell and the Department of Hockey Ops,” Peel said. “This was not the intention when the shootout was brought in. Plays like this make a mockery of our game. The next time he does this the goalie should charge and rip his head off!”
The biggest detractor to the move has been Wayne Gretzky, who offered this opinion on TNT last season.
“I hate it,” Gretzky said. “Should be a rule, should be a time clock like in baseball. Come on, you never get a breakaway in a game and you do that. You get seven seconds, eight seconds. That’s my opinion.”
During certain attempts too, Kuzy would begin his attempt with a stick twirl.
“We would hate that one on the bench too,” Gretzky said. “I know we’re living in a different era but there’s still something about having some dignity for the game in my estimation. [If I did that], 20 guys from the other team would have jumped over the boards and if somebody would have done it against us, 20 guys from our team would have went over the boards. You got to protect the goalies, right? If you can’t get there in eight seconds you don’t deserve to be taking the shot.”
Kuznetsov said that he didn’t mind Gretzky’s criticism in the Russian language interview. “By the time it’s banned, I’ll be retired,” he said cackling.
One person who backed up opponents’ perceived rage was new Capitals head coach Spencer Carbery.
“I saw it in person on the other side of the bench,” Carbery said of his time as an assistant with the Toronto Maple Leafs. “Except that time, he had the stick twirl to it which at that time I didn’t take too kindly to and our group didn’t. But he proceeded to go down and score there as well.”
Now that he’s on the Capitals’ side, Carbery is “very, very happy to see” Kuznetsov’s move. Kuzy’s shootout goal proved to be the game-winner earning Carbery his first victory as an NHL head coach.
“I just think it’s really difficult (to stop) and I was talking to our goaltending coach Scott Murray about it,” Carbery said. “And Calgary spent time pre-scouting that exact shot and that exact moment. From a goalie perspective, it’s just challenging.
“Like when do you ever see that scenario in a game or in a practice? You don’t. So if you try to practice it, as shooters get closer, that’s how you judge your depth. If someone is flying in now you’re sort of timing it and if someone is going slower now you’re kind of caught not moving backwards. Now, you’re like, ‘Uh oh, am I too deep in my net?’ I just think it makes it really, really challenging on goaltenders to keep their depth when he’s coming in with that type of speed.”
Carbery also shared that he didn’t quite understand the other side that says Kuzy’s slow attempt should be outlawed.
“I just don’t see why, it’s a shootout,” Carbery said. “You see some of the stuff from a creativity standpoint, like I’ve seen some stuff on social media, people picking the puck up. So he goes down slow. It’s another variation of a different idea and a different way to do things that’s not traditional.”
During the preseason, Kuznetsov changed things up, opting to go as fast as possible to try and catch the opposing goaltender — in this case, the Detroit Red Wings’ Sebastian Cossa — sleeping. Carbery gave Kuzy the option of not shooting, as to keep that wrinkle secret across the league.
“I asked him, because some guys are finicky about practicing their shootout moves and giving whatever tells to the rest of the league and they would rather not shoot in the preseason and save their bag of tricks for the regular games but I asked him if he wanted to shoot in the preseason and he said, ‘Yeah.’ So I assumed that he was going to practice and get some reps [on the slow move] but he said, ‘No, I’m going to keep the league off balance.'”
Kuznetsov first made the change after struggling mightily in the shootout during the 2021-22 season, going 2 for 8. Kuznetsov missed his first six attempts of that season. It was then he decided to get creative and find his own inner zen.
“This is the whole point: you are one-on-one and there are no more rules,” he said.
Headline photo: Alan Dobbins/RMNB
