Quote:
Originally Posted by Erick Estrada
It sure would be nice to get rid of Smid as he was pretty bad today although it's hard to single out just one defensemen when the entire group is so soft. They just let the ducks walk in and shoot from the slot on a few of those goals or left guys like Perry all alone in front of the goaltender.
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To be fair, until Wideman was suspended, at best Smid was playing every other game -- I don't think he was ever intended to be a full regular. Playing every game is clearly wearing him out.
The D are pretty good at offensive support - when they can actually complete a pass or two - but they have little physical ability to interdict a puck carrier. The Ducks just lean on them and they're past. Gio has not been good this year, bar rare moments, Hamilton is OK but makes glaring mistakes in his own zone. Russell is terrific at blocking shots, but is then often out of position. His shot-blocking prowess was noticeably missing today. Suspect a couple of those perimeter goals might have been stopped by him.