from Jamie McLennan of TSN,

The following are a couple things I have noticed about shootouts in my experience both as a player and as a goalie coach in the NHL.

Due to the shootout being a relatively sudden addition (brought into the NHL in 2005/06 season) the adjustment was huge for the goalies. It all began with the fact that none of them had grown up playing with it. All goalies worked on breakaways in practice and faced a few rare penalty shots in their careers, but suddenly precious points were on the line and a main focus had to be shifted to stopping these previously uncommon shots.

Facing a shooter in the shootout is extremely different for a goaltender than facing a breakaway. The pace in a game where someone is in alone, though still fast, is changed by shooter’s knowledge of an impending back checker. That defender, in essence, will force the shooter to be very quick with his decision-making and his play, so you may deal with one straight on move, or a couple if you’re dealing with an elite scorer, but everything was done at a real fast rate and, usually, straight on.

Now, enter the shootout, a completely different animal. There is no back checker and players are free to go outside the Zambonied lanes, allowing them change their angle or point of attack. Shooters could also speed up and slow down at any rate to try and throw goaltenders off their typical depth in net. Finally, the highly skilled players would really get to shine with some ridiculous moves.

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