Caps vs. Penguin Scum 12-11-2006 Post-Mortem

Yea! Another game decided by a gimmick! Onto the Battle Damage Assessment...

THE GOOD:

• Another fast start. How fast? The Caps once again had two goals before the Penguin Scum had even registered a shot on goal. The Caps went on to build a 4-0 lead.
• The Caps also outshot the Penguin Scum by large margin in the first period, 17-8. The Caps were certainly buzzing around the net and the Penguin Scum couldn't even get the puck.
• The Caps dominated in the faceoff circle tonight winning 40 of 70 faceoffs. The Caps won 67 percent in their own zone, 14 of 21, and 61 percent in the Neutral zone, 17 of 28. Dainius Zubrus won 70 percent of his draws, 17 of 24, and Boyd Gordon won 65 percent, 19 of 29.

THE BAD:

• Way, way, too many missed opportunities. The Penguin Scum kept turning the puck over in their own zone the Caps just could not capitalize. It wasn't as if the puck was landing on Donald Brashear's and John Erskine Bowles' stick, it was landing on Zoobie-Doobie-Doo's, A.O.'s, and Alexander Semin's sticks. And yet the Caps couldn't get any goals out of it. They played almost too fine at times tonight and seemed to wait too long before making a decision.
• While the Caps badly outshot the Penguin Scum in the first period, the Penguin Scum returned the favor in the second and outshot the Caps 17-8. At least tonight the Caps were able to score two goals in the second period before heading into their typical second period doldrums.
• The Power Play was up to its old trick of scoring impressively on the first Power Play and then taking the rest of the night off. The Caps almost scored impressively on the second Power Play but Zoobie-Doobie-Doo shanked the shot (and his second attempt still almost slipped in). The Power Play ended up 1 for 6 tonight.

THE UGLY:

• Blowing a four goal lead on home ice. It amazes me how the Caps can build a lead on the likes of the Buffaslugs and hold on but against a team like the Penguin Scum, they can't hold onto a larger lead. If I expected better of this hockey team, it would drive me to drink.
• The Penguin Scum's futile efforts to run A.O. was pathetic. Big, bad Brooks Orpik gets himself punked by A.O. and the Penguin Scum still didn't learn the lesson. Even the Canadian Diving Team Captain, Secondary Assist Cindy Crosby, tried hitting A.O. with her purse to no avail. The Penguin Scum are many things, but tough ain't one of them.
• And speaking of pathetic, at least three times tonight the Pittsburgh Synchronized Diving Team dove to the ice with nobody around them. At least the referees didn't fall for it and call a penalty on the Caps.
• The game was decided by a gimmick. As a matter of fact, for a good stretch of the third period and after the Caps blew their OT Power Play, both teams largely played for a gimmick.

I have some conflicting emotions about this one. Of course you never feel good about blowing a four goal lead on home ice. But the game was decided by a gimmick. While this counts as a loss and the Caps get a point out of the deal, you kind of feel like maybe the Caps got something they did not deserve in the point that they earned. But you also feel somewhat "vindicated" that while the Penguin Scum fought back from a four goal deficit, that they still needed a gimmick to call themselves a winner. Is it me or does this game still leave people unsatisfied?