Your savory breakfast links:
- Previews of tonight’s Southeast showdown from Vogs, Peerless and NHL.com, and be sure to check out our SB Nation partner Raw Charge for coverage from the other side of tonight’s match up.
- This is the second meeting of the season between these two teams, with the Caps taking the first 3-0 down in Tampa (which is also the site of Michal Neuvirth‘s first NHL start and win last Valentine’s Day). The Caps have won the last dozen meetings between the two teams… can the Caps make it a lucky 13?
- Speaking of Neuvirth, his new mask provides a great excuse to run down some of the great goalie masks in team history. Yahtzee! [Rock The Red.net]
- John Erskine is questionable for tonight’s game (…nah… too easy), and Neuvy’s head is on straight. [Capitals Insider]
- Have we mentioned that Neuvirth’s been awesome? [Homer McFanboy]
- So has the kid holding down the fort in Hershey, Braden Holtby. [A Bears Minute]
- New Alex Ovechkin translations make any day instantly better. [Alex Ovetjkin]
- AO could still “run away and hide with the goal-scoring trophy.” I wonder if that is meant to be taken literally or figuratively. [The Hockey News]
- A rejuvenated Tom Poti is a very good thing for the Caps. [WaPo]
- Fresh power rankings are out with the Caps up two to second at CBSSports, up six to second at The Hockey News, up two to third at SportingNews, down one (huh?) to fifth at ESPN, holding at fifth at National Post, up two to sixth at TSN, and up two to seventh at CBC.
- Scott Burnside on the Caps’ goalie situation (in which the names Turco and Biron are thrown around) and AO as captain. [ESPN]
- Buy or sell the Caps as being “built on scrappy foundation”? (And yes, that’s “scrappy” with an “s.”) [SI]
- Nice Tomas Fleischmann profile over at the Players’ Association site. Wait – there’s still a Players’ Association? [NHLPA]
- “[W]ith all due respect, it’s hockey.” That’s pretty much all you need to know about The Washington Post‘s priorities, no? Godspeed, Tarik. [WaPo]
- Pretty cool look at AO’s recent trip to Vancouver. [Canucks TV (YouTube; h/t YNC)]
- Get to know Steve Kolbe. [PressBox]
- In which the Caps are superheros. Perhaps someone who’s a bigger geek than I can explain the Ovechkin choice. [FFODC]
- Is Donald Brashear the worst player in the League? [The Puck Stops Here]
- Mathieu Perreault is coming up big for the Bears. Get it? [LDN]
- Bear Tracks! [LDN]
- Believe me when I say that stuff like this means more to us than the accolade to which it refers and that we do “accept” that top spot in part on behalf of the entire Caps Blogosphere, which both pushes and inspires us. [OFB]
- Finally, happy birthday to a couple of Swedish ex-Caps, Josef Boumedienne and Ulf Dahlen.