It seems in todays world of goaltending, theres still a couple of contrasting styles that help netminders have success. Every goalie has a specific skill set - I call this the toolbox - and youre trying things and adding them if they work for you along the way. Certain plays, saves, reads and how you consistently play them help define you as a goaltender. With the evolution of goaltending at an all-time high over the last 20 years, most goaltenders play relatively the same way - especially in their save selection in certain areas of the crease. Where it differs is how you arrive to make the save. Some goalies play deeper in their net, while others play more aggressive. Some netminders have better lateral movement and flexibility and some play a more upright style, while others play with more patience. The bottom line is that everyone plays a little bit different from one other. When I started to look at how guys play in the league today, there wasnt much difference in what I would term the middle group. Its their modified styles that are the most noticeable difference. Lets start with the majority group - the hybrid goaltender. These are the goaltenders that have a lot of different skills in their tool box, play with structure, a near-predictability in their save selection and are basically a cross between a standup goalie and a butterfly goalie. Aggressive, But With Structure These goaltenders play the top of their crease and will try and take as much ice as they can. They use athleticism, try not to open a lot of holes and work within the confines of good crease management. When theyre on their game, they make it look easy because the puck hits them and dies. Modifications of it are also noticeable if the goaltender plays more upright or in a deeper crouch. Goaltenders in this category include Floridas Roberto Luongo, Bostons Tuukka Rask, Ryan Miller of the Vancouver Canucks, Detroit netminder Jimmy Howard, Washingtons Braden Holtby, Antti Niemi of the San Jose Sharks, Brian Elliott of the St. Louis Blues, Columbus Blue Jackets goalie Sergei Bobrovsky, Chicagos Corey Crawford, Kari Lehtonen of the Dallas Stars, Ottawas Craig Anderson, Colorados Semyon Varlamov and Ben Scrivens of the Edmonton Oilers. Most goalies go down on almost every play to take away the lower part of the net because shots are rarely clean nowadays. With net-front traffic, screens and tips, the puck changes directions constantly. With the middle group comes the aggressive hybrid style - and you can lump most of todays goaltenders into that category. And theres different groups within this category based on how they react to shots. Patient With Structure These are goaltenders who dont go chasing the puck - they allow the puck to come to them. They still incorporate all the features of a good hybrid style, but look a lot more relaxed doing it. Theyre very efficient with their use of energy, almost to the point that they could be accused sometimes of not trying on certain shots. Goaltenders in this category include Montreals Carey Price, Phillys Steve Mason, Darcy Kuemper of the Minnesota Wild, New Jerseys Cory Schneider, Torontos Jonathan Bernier, Cam Ward of the Carolina Hurricanes, Jaroslav Halak of the New York Islanders and Buffalos Jhonas Enroth. Aggressive And Athletic/Garage Sale These guys have all the skills and have the athleticism to get away from structure, but will stop the puck by any means necessary. Theyll use flexibility, quickness and willpower to keep the puck out of the net and throw everything they have at the puck to make the save. Were talking about Jonathan Quick of the Los Angeles Kings, Nashvilles Pekka Rinne, Marc-Andre Fleury of the Pittsburgh Penguins and Winnipegs Ondrej Pavelec. Deep And Athletic Netminders that use their size and athleticism to their advantage. But theres also no margin for error, as they play a foot-and-a-half deeper within the blue paint. It helps to conserve energy, be more efficient on side to side plays and theres not a lot of scramble mode. This includes Tampa Bays Ben Bishop, Mike Smith of the Phoenix Coyotes and New Yorks Henrik Lundqvist. Pure Butterfly I term butterfly as more the style of a save. Calgarys Jonas Hiller makes no apologies for playing from his knees, uses the 6-foot-2 frame to be as big as he can and tries to force shooters to go high. Standup Style This has gone the way of the Dodo in todays NHL. It used to be the style for most of the league, but the biggest adaptation in goaltending over the last 20 years has been covering that lower part of the net where 80 per cent of the shots end up going. Now the 30 NHL starters listed above each have unique traits that separate one from another. But it all comes back to structure and base and whats in your toolbox. At least 13 of 30 starters play an aggressive game with structure. Maybe thats why when it comes to goaltending chats, people always say theyre interchangeable. Its how they use and incorporate the skills that separates the good ones from the elite ones. It also includes the extras or intangibles. I know my analytics friends hate those words, but when it comes to goalies, thats just a fact. Durability and mental capacity, along with the skills Ive talked about above, are what really separate the good from the great. And that will be for another chat to come. Cheap Off White Vapormax . He says he will have the operation Wednesday and be ready in time for training camp in September. Bernier missed five games in March due to the injury. Cheap Vapormax 97 . Kevin Martin and Kevin Love paced the Timberwolves like they do so often. Martin had 27 points with some key baskets down the stretch, Love had his usual double-double, and the Timberwolves snapped a three-game losing streak with a 112-106 victory Saturday night over the suddenly slipping Dallas Mavericks. http://www.clearancevapormax.com/cheap-vapormax-97-clearance.html .com) - Pavel Datsyuk and Gustav Nyquist both scored in the shootout as the Detroit Red Wings denied the Minnesota Wilds comeback bid with a 5-4 win on Tuesday. Cheap Vapormax 3 . Early in the first period, Stuart pinched in from the blue line, hit Nash and was assessed a minor penalty for elbowing. Nash remained in the game for the rest of the first period, but did not return for the second. Wholesale Vapormax 97 . Not only that, when Julian de Guzman first stepped on the pitch for Deportivo de la Coruna he became the very first Canadian to play in Spains top tier.HAMILTON, Ont. -- The Hamilton Bulldogs scored four unanswered goals in the third period en route to a 6-2 victory over the Lake Erie Monsters in American Hockey League play Sunday. Gabriel Dumont had two goals and an assist, and Patrick Holland also had a three-point night for the Bulldogs (12-10-3) with one goal and two assists. Nick Tarnasky, Stefan Fournier and Louis Leblanc also scored for Hamilton, and Robert Mayer made 28 saves. Bryan Lerg and Markus Lauridsen had goals for the Monsters (12-10-1). Calvin Pickard stopped 22 shots in a losing effort. With the win, Hamilton climbed to first place in the AHLs North Division. A subdued start to Sundays game saw the two teams combine for just six shots on goal through the first ten minutes of play. But after successfully killing two penalties, the Bulldogs took advantage of their first power-play opportunity of the afternoon to open the scoring at 14:20 of the first period. Dumont shovelled the puck toward Pickard on the backhand, and he kicked it out wide and into the path of St. Pierre on the right. The wingers wrist shot never made it through a screen, but the loose puck bounced back to Dumont, who made good on his second attempt. The Monsters had their best chance to level the game at a goal apiece with four minutes to play in the period. Breaking into the offensive zone with a 3-on-1 advantage, Lake Erie forced a pad save from Mayer before hitting the far post with the follow-up shot. Hamilton doubled its lead early in the second period, striking at 5:06 when Darren Dietz shot from the point hit Lake Erie defender Matt Hunwick in front of the net and fell to Tarnasky. The winger turned and swept a low shot toward Pickard that trickled through the goaltenders legs and in. A moment of rage from Mike Blunden cost the Bulldogs, as the winger retaliated after being checked from behind and was assessed three minor penalties at 13:29 of the second.dddddddddddd With a six-minute power play ahead of them, the Monsters wasted little time finding their first goal of the afternoon. Hunwick controlled the puck along the blue-line and released a rising shot that Lerg tipped down and past Mayer at 14:31 of the second period. Hamiltons task was made easier when Lake Eries Garrett Meurs was penalized for hooking, eliminating two minutes from the Bulldogs extended penalty kill. Mayer made several saves as the Bulldogs survived the stretch without conceding a tying goal. Insurance arrived for the Bulldogs when Holland struck to restore their two-goal lead at 2:50 of the third period. Jordan Owens fought off a defender and centred the puck from the right, and Holland bent to meet the puck and one-timed it past Pickard at the near post. It was the wingers third goal, and fifth point, in five games since returning from injury. Hamilton scored its fourth goal of the afternoon just 48 seconds later, as Stefan Fournier struck for his first professional goal at 3:38 of the third period. The winger was stationed in front of Pickards crease and corralled a rebound before shifting to his backhand and sliding it past the goaltender. With Hamilton on the power play, Dumont pounced on a loose puck for his second goal and third point of the game at 9:41 of the third period. Leblanc stretched Hamiltons lead to five goals when he tipped Maxime Macenauers wrist shot past Pickard at 15:21 of the third. Lauridsen found a consolation goal for the Monsters with 44 seconds to play, firing a high wrist shot past Mayer. ' ' '