Quote:
Originally Posted by megadude
Yeah, there's two ways of looking at it like you said.
It kind of irks me when commentators say the goalie was lucky or he was saved by the post. I mean, the goalie put himself in a position such that it forced the shooter to shoot just that little bit wider. So was it luck or good positioning to limit the shooter's options?
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As I said, it's a case-by-case thing.
If the goalie was lying face-down on the ice on the other side and the net was wide open and the shooter hit the post, then that's 100% luck.
At the other extreme of the spectrum, if the goalie is seeing the puck coming and blocking the puck's way with his pad in a position where the pad is basically touching the post, and the puck hits the post, that's 100% a save by the goalie -- defending successfully the area that matters (the opening) with the post being part of the perimeter, which the goalie doesn't need to shield.
In other words, not all cases of the puck hitting the post (which we call "a post", in short) are equal. Each needs to be analyzed, because it can be anywhere from 100% luck to 100% goalie skill, and anywhere in between.