McKenna's Minute - Analyzing Stastny's Hockey Sense

Sometimes the greatest plays are rooted in subtlety, and this Paul Stastny OT winner against the Nashville Predators is a perfect example.

Players are trained to shoot at the open net. If the goalie isn't there, the puck can't be stopped, right? But that isn't always the case: today's goaltenders are able to move laterally and cover open space in the blink of the eye.

That's where game sense and pre-scouting comes in handy. In his post-game interview, Stastny revealed his intentions were to shoot five-hole, which was quite surprising. Almost always in this scenario, the shooter will attempt to beat the goaltender with a near-side shot just inside the post.

Not Stastny. Knowing Juuse Saros is very good laterally, he made the conscious decision to shoot against the grain, hoping to catch the goaltender at precisely the moment when his legs were spread and the middle of the net was exposed.

Calculated plays like this are one of Stastny's greatest strengths. He thinks the game at an elite level and is able to adapt on the fly. It's a great example of how the mental side of hockey is just as important as the physical.