When Brooks Orpik was younger and still establishing himself as a physical defenseman, he had to find a balance. Hitting was part of his game, but slamming into everything in sight wouldn’t always help his team. For Orpik, it was about timing, learning when to do it and when not to.
Orpik used that analogy last Friday night, trying to explain a very different balance that Dmitry Orlov is trying to master. The Capitals want him to be offensively creative, but sometimes, the situation calls for a more direct play, one that doesn’t lead to a turnover going the opposite way.