Breakaways and shootout attempts – they’re not as similar as one might think. Sure, they’re both 1-on-1, goaltender versus player, but from my own experience in the crease, I always found in-game breakaways much more difficult to stop than shootout attempts.
That got me thinking: Which NHL players are most feared on a breakaway? Again, not the shootout. Actual in-game situations where the player is clear of any defensive pressure.
I polled a group of current NHL goaltenders – with combined experience of more than 2,400 games – to come up with a top-five list of the league’s top breakaway artists.
To me, the plays are vastly different. Breakaways are instinctual. There isn’t much time for the player to think about what move to make, and there’s the constant fear of a backchecker catching up.
But shootout attempts? Players have all the time in the world. They can formulate a plan in advance, get a read on the goaltender and ultimately approach the net as fast as they please — or in the case of Carolina forward Andrei Svechnikov as slowly as desired. The Hurricanes sniper is four for five during the 2022-23 NHL season and boasts a 10 for 17 career mark. Yet Svechnikov only received one vote from the goalies I sampled.
Full disclosure: I never faced a shootout in the NHL. I did, however, allow my fair share of breakaway goals, and I did, as a member of the New Jersey Devils, stop Montreal Canadiens forward Tomáš Plekanec on the only penalty shot I faced.
The rest of my breakaway and shootout experience came in the minors, but it still translates. I felt an element of control during shootouts. I could pace the player and match his speed, but in a game setting, I found it much more difficult to get out of my crease and be patient.
The biggest reason for this poll was to find out which NHL players make goalies nervous during a game because there’s no bigger moment than a clean breakaway.
Let’s take a look at the top-five breakaway artists in the NHL – in random order – according to the goaltenders who face them on a nightly basis.
