Ability to master sharp-angle shots mandatory skill for goaltenders

To the uninitiated, the preoccupation with post play among NHL goaltenders and those who analyze them may seem at best disproportional to the actual demands of the position and at worst an unhealthy obsession filled with odd names.
There is a Post Lean VH (which stands for Vertical-Horizontal), Dead-Arm VH, the Reverse-VH, with multiple options for skate placement, Overlap, and even a Reverse-VH Overlap.
Some might think it's overkill.

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Even among goaltending coaches there have been questions whether the amount of time dedicated to sharp-angle save techniques matches how often those saves are required.
But talk to NHL goalies and you realize why evolving post-integration technique is one of the most common changes they make, even if some agree the amount of attention those alterations receive can be excessive.
"There is good reason for all focus," Minnesota Wild goalie Devan Dubnyk said. "You spend a lot of time on your posts, so there can be too much focus on it as far as bad-angle shots go, but it's really all about how you come out of that play. What is comfortable for you to be able to get out of it, and off your post, and be able to square up to the puck."
Moving into and off of the posts cleanly can be a trigger to feeling good overall.
"If you look at how many times a goalie goes into their posts in a game, it's a lot," Vancouver Canucks goalie Anders Nilsson said. "Personally, if I have a good feeling in the game, I know my post entry is good. If you make a good entry into the post, your balance is better and you can move away from the post, but if you make a bad entry you are late going to the other side. If my post entry is bad, I am not having a comfortable feeling in the net during the game, and that's when I struggle and start scrambling."

The technique to best achieve that comfort level varies by goaltender.
Dubnyk relies primarily on the original VH technique, which became popular in the mid-2000s and places the short-side pad horizontally against the post and the back pad vertically along the ice. That's, in part, because he isn't flexible enough for the newer Reverse-VH, which has the lead pad on the ice against the post and the back pad off the ice to either drive a seal into the post or use as a rudder for pushes around and off the post.
"I can push into it as a save, no problem, but as far as setting up in it, I know if that guy doesn't shoot the puck at me and that puck goes somewhere else, I think we're talking about a handful of guys flexible enough to properly execute movement out of that," Dubnyk said, adding with a laugh, "I'm just an old man that wants to stand on my feet."
Florida Panthers veteran Roberto Luongo is the NHL's oldest goalie at 38 but said a switch from VH to Reverse-VH in 2012-13 was one of the most important changes he's made.
"For me, it's amazing," said Luongo, who struggled to keep his back pad above the goal line in the original VH. "There is so much more control when you are in the Reverse."
There are other examples of goalies who adopted Reverse-VH, which originated in Sweden, after Jonathan Quick won the Stanley Cup for the Los Angeles Kings using it in 2012.
It was a big part of Marc-Andre Fleury's resurgence with Pittsburgh Penguins goalie coach Mike Bales in 2013, allowing him to be comfortable on his posts and reducing bad goals from chasing plays outside them.
"The Reverse-VH has been good for me," said Fleury, now with the Vegas Golden Knights. "A game-changer."

So why don't goalies just square up and butterfly on sharp-angle plays? Some do, but the post itself can be problematic because dropping into the butterfly pushes your feet out to the side, and if a skate is against the post when the drop is initiated, the momentum can push a goalie away from the post, creating a hole on the short side.
Some rely on Overlap, a position that keeps the heel of the skate outside the post to prevent the gap between the body and post when they drop, while others, like Fleury, prefer to stay connected to their posts as a positional anchor.
Fleury likes to mix in some VH, however, preferring not to become too predictable, which brings us to the frequency of post play in analysis.
Part of it is how easy changes are to recognize. Adding Reverse-VH has been part of the breakthrough for Connor Hellebuyck of the Winnipeg Jets. Tuukka Rask altered his approach with the Boston Bruins, and Jonathan Bernier improved his execution with the Colorado Avalanche, and that's just this season.
Opposing goaltending coaches notice too. Each technique comes with positives and negatives, a give and take in the balance between mobility and coverage, and execution flaws can create specific holes that can lead to important goals against generated from a good pre-scout in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
No wonder goalies spend so much time perfecting post play.
"It's a huge part of our game," Nilsson said.