tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14971098.post1426049960595104468..comments2024-03-17T21:09:46.268-04:00Comments on The Peerless Prognosticator: A one-point night: Penguins 4 - Caps 3 (OT)The Peerlesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10293195514553989436noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14971098.post-67533729583293282362007-12-28T13:59:00.000-05:002007-12-28T13:59:00.000-05:00If he Caps still had Brendan Witt, that would prob...If he Caps still had Brendan Witt, that would probably be the comparison. Not so much that Witt was doing all that well here in later years, but he was the only defenseman of his specie on the roster -- a stay-at-home banger. Pittsburgh doesn't have that on their roster. Orpik comes close, but he has his interesting moments, too.The Peerlesshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10293195514553989436noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14971098.post-1003237536811244732007-12-28T12:44:00.000-05:002007-12-28T12:44:00.000-05:00As usual, nice perspective. It is, after all, jus...As usual, nice perspective. It is, after all, just one game of 82 and if the Caps capture 3 out of every 4 points in long stretches they'll be looking a lot healthier in the standings.<BR/><BR/>Regarding the Pittsburgh defense: this was game one without Mark Eaton, who had silently been Gonchar's partner and is the only Penguin blueliner with a positive +/- rating.<BR/><BR/>I do agree an upgrade is needed, but considering one of the main cornerstones was suddenly removed, it's not surprising that it was a sloppy night.<BR/><BR/>There's no current comparison to make for the Caps current personnel to emphasize the importance of Eaton. At the risk of Cap-sacrilige, it's like losing Calle Jo (without the offensive abilities).Hooks Orpikhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04043702689071051472noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14971098.post-26587917141028172152007-12-28T10:44:00.000-05:002007-12-28T10:44:00.000-05:00Good Recap. It can be difficult to keep perspectiv...Good Recap. It can be difficult to keep perspective after a disappointing loss like this.<BR/><BR/>So far, Boudreau's main weakness seems to be matching lines. I know that he likes to roll four lines and prefers to get everyone involved, but against Tampa he put out Brashear against the Lecavalier line TWICE (the first time led to several scoring chances, the second led to the second goal). Last night, either Gordo or Steckel should have taken the late draw--take a timeout if need be in order to get the lines correct. <BR/><BR/>As far as Kozlov goes, his lack of production is killing the Caps offense. He is second on the team with 97 shots, but scoring on a measly 3.1% of his shots. His career average is close to 8%. Last year, he shot a career-high 15%, which, no doubt helped him earn his contract. Pettinger, meanwhile, is fourth on the team in shots and scoring on 2.9%. His career average is around 10 and the last two years he shot around 14%. <BR/><BR/>Together, these guys are wasting a lot of chances. However, the optimist in me hopes that their performance will gradually regress (progress?) to the mean and that they're both due for a goal-scoring streak in the second half.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com