Your savory breakfast links:
- Previews of tonight’s clash with the Canadiens from Vogs, NHL.com (Pinchevsky), CI and Peerless, and be sure to check out our SB Nation partner Habs Eyes On The Prize for more coverage from the other side of tonight’s match up.
- Notes and assorted whatnot from yesterday’s practice. [Caps365 (video), CI, CI]
- John Carlson and Karl Alzner‘s emergence has to be one of the biggest positives for the Caps over the first half of the season. [CSN Washington (Masisak)]
- “The Capitals should definitely look to upgrade their goaltending and/or defense, both to shake up their roster, and to win now with a win-now team.” [Hockey Prospectus]
- Everything you wanted to know (and then some) about the preparations for the Winter Classic rink. [NHL.com (Rosen), NHL.com’s Winter Classic page]
- Everyone’s fretting over whether the weather will cooperate. [ESPN, CI]
- Four other things that could go wrong for this incarnation of the NHL’s marquee regular season event. [Puck Daddy]
- And what’s next for the Classic? [FtR]
- Alexander Semin: “I like everything here, and I would not like to leave.” [RMNB]
- Are the Caps winning “the right way” now? Where’s R.J. Umberger when you need him? [Inside Hockey]
- The last word (we think) on Tim Gleason‘s hit on Mathieu Perreault. [SI.com (Hackel)]
- Alex Ovechkin‘s top five plays of the week. [CSN Washington (video)]
- How AO can get back into “The Debate.” [ESPN ($)]
- “Now that the slump is over, Ovechkin can simply focus on going out and playing his game. There is probably going to be hell for other teams to pay in the very near future. That’s just how hockey works, especially for the game’s superstars.” [Versus (Meltzer)]
- Brian Leetch on the Caps’ struggles. [SI.com (and an additional blurb on 24/7, if that first clip didn’t put you to sleep)]
- Some blowhard who gets paid to say inflammatory things says inflammatory things blowhardedly. [Beaver County Times]
- The year’s most shocking on-ice moments include a current Cap doing something as a member of another team and a former Cap doing something as a Cap. Any guesses? [Puck Daddy]
- Bear Tracks! [LDN]
- I bet you’ve been wondering, “How’s that Zach Miskovic coming along?” Wonder no more. [LDN]
- Nice night for Philipp Grubauer at the WJCs. [Buzzing the Net, KG’s District]
- It looks as if Anton Gustafsson is going to give hockey another go. [hockeysverige]
- Finally, happy 34th birthday to Benoit Gratton.
