Your savory breakfast links:
- Recaps of last night’s victory over the Hurricanes from us (and the night in GIFs), Vogs, Monumental video (Oates, Ovechkin, Backstrom, Brouwer, Grubauer), NHL.com, AP, WaPo, Peerless, Frankovic, DSP and RMNB.
- Alex Ovechkin didn’t linger too long on #399, and his empty-netter against the ‘Canes made him the sixth-fastest player in NHL history to hit the 400-goal mark. Congrats! [Rink, Caps, Caps Today, NHL.com, WaPo, CSNW (and again), RMNB]
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- Previews of tonight’s dance with the Devils from Vogs, NHL.com, NJ.com, and be sure to check out our SB Nation pals over at In Lou We Trust for the other side of tonight’s matchup.
- Witness the past week in GIFs, and then make sure to pick for your favorite. Backstrom’s shootout tally? Ovechkin’s jog of joy? Vote now! [Rink]
- Climbing into this week’s Super 16, but with a caveat…the combination of all those shootout wins and the lackluster even-strength play aren’t a recipe for success. [NHL.com]
- Wrapping up the Tom Wilson situation:
- A look at both sides of the NHL’s decision not to suspend Tom Wilson for his hit on Brayden Schenn… [Rink]
- …and more talk about the ruling by the Department of Player Safety. [Hockey Night Online, MvsW]
- For his part, Wilson is aware that he screwed up – and that he likely cost his team the game. [WaPo]
- News and notes from yesterday’s pregame:
- In general. [Monumental video (Oates, Rinkside Update / Grabovski)]
- With 82 games under Adam Oates’s careful watch, a look at where the Caps are and where they hope to be. [Dump ‘n Chase]
- After missing nine games with a recurring groin injury, Brooks Laich is finally starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel. [CSNW]
- Everything you ever wanted to know about the holiday roster freeze, but were afraid to ask. [WaPo]
- It’s almost WJC time!
- Get to know Team USA (although a few of those names should look pretty familiar). [NHL.com, ESPN ($)]
- Speaking of Team USA, Caps’ prospect and member of last year’s gold medal-winning squad Riley Barber does a little Q&A about camp so far. [MURedHawks]
- Andre Burakovsky is feeling pretty chatty – and pretty confident – about Team Sweden’s chances against the rest of the field. And one maple leaf-wearing contingent in particular. [Skanskan.se, Slam]
- That other big international competition is just around the corner, too, and John Carlson is starting to look pretty good as a member of Team USA. Well, he is RAHJC… [ESPN]
- Nicklas Backstrom continues to be the driver for the Caps. Just another four-assist night for him last night, too, ho hum. [The Hockey Report]
- Interesting look at two players’ paths to the NHL, one through the NCAA and the other via the OHL. [Globe and Mail]
- Dmitry Orlov continues to develop in his growing role on the Caps’ blue line. [Talk the Red]
- …which is good, because upgrading that particular position is not an easy thing to do, no matter how much the Caps might need to do it. [ESPN ($)]
- Dispatches from Chocolatetown:
- Garrett Mitchell is on the mend but out indefinitely after a lengthy surgery on his shoulder. [Patriot-News]
- Bobbleheads are yesterday’s news… introducing the Joel Rechlicz BobbleFIST, baby! [Patriot-News]
- Reminder: fighting does not make one manly. Just check out the line brawl that broke out last night between the US and Canadian women… in an exhibition game, no less. [Puck Daddy, ESPN]
- Miss a meme or 12 in 2013? Familiarize yourself with the year’s best (“best”) and never again be confused by someone talking about Ovechkin’s broken controller! [SI.com]
- Do shootout wins mean early outs in the postseason? We’ll just leave this here. [WaPo]
- Don’t hate on Ovechkin. “Just enjoy one of the greatest offensive players the league’s ever known, in his prime, doing what he does best.” Hell yeah. [Grantland]
- Why winning a lot of games via the shootout makes the Caps unmanly and one step away from applying makeup at intermission. So there’s that. [Canada.com]
- Crunching the numbers of the year in DC sports. [WaPo]
- Finally, happy 35th birthday to Petr Sykora.
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