Your savory breakfast links:
- Previews of tonight’s final game of the road trip in Philly from Vogs, NHL.com and Peerless, and be sure to check out our SB Nation pals over at Broad Street Hockey for the other side of tonight’s matchup.
- Looks like the Caps will be without their captain tonight, as Alex Ovechkin is on the sidelines with a shoulder injury. [WaPo (and again), AP, CSNW, DSP, RMNB]
- So what exactly are they missing with Ovechkin out? Even more than you may think, and it starts with what he’s best at – shots on goal. [Rink]
- Reliving the magic that was the Caps-Flyers rivalry on the eve of the season’s first meeting with the Broad Street Bullies. [Caps Outsider]
- Your Capitals Minute for today. [Capitals Voice]
- Looking at Mikhail Grabovski on the power play and whether the Caps’ issues are personnel- or system-based in this week’s Mailbag. Keep those questions coming – you ask, we answer! [Rink]
- News and notes from yesterday’s pre-flight practice:
- In general. [Monumental video (Oates, Johansson, Backstrom, Rinkside Update/Chimera)]
- After some sloppy play on the road, Adam Oates is looking for tighter defense from his team going forward. [CSNW]
- Addressing that pesky problem of letting up after scoring a goal. [WaPo]
- Braden Holtby caused a bit of a stir the other day when he questioned his teammates’ pre-game preparation… and his coach and Swedish superstar disagree with his take. [CSNW]
- Eric Fehr is ready to step in for the injured Ovechkin, on the top line and on the power play. [WaPo, CSNW]
- Sure, he’s picking up some points thanks to his talented linemates, but Marcus Johansson is no passenger. [WaPo]
- Should Michal Neuvirth by The Guy� [Capitals Hill]
- Troy Brouwer is Captain Movember. [Capitals Outsider]
- Checking in on the farm:
- The Bears are facing a big weekend against some Eastern Division rivals. [Patriot-News (and Garrett Mitchell discusses the upcoming challenges)]
- Pink the rink! [SHOE]
- Forward pairs = success in the standings. That is, unless you stubbornly stick to the ones that perhaps don’t work so well, ahem ahem. [ESPN ($)]
- Down Goes Brown looks at some coaches and GMs… and reveals the secret reason why George McPhee has held his job for so long. [DGB]
- With yesterday being Halloween and all, the Caps-themed pumpkins were out in full force. That, or there was a sale at the produce stand. [Monumental Network, DC Sports Bog, RMNB]
- For some NHLers, Halloween-esque horrors aren’t limited just to October 31st. [Spectors Hockey]
- Finally, happy 56th birthday to Brent Tremblay and happy 67th to Bill Lesuk.