Your savory breakfast links:

• Recaps and other assorted musings on last night's meltdown from us, Monumental video (Oates, players), Vogs, NHL.com, AP, WaPo (gamer, blog), WashTimes (gamer, blog), Frankovic, Peerless, Caps Basketball, DSP, Capitals Outsider, RtR, Hockey Shopped, Caps Daily, Puckhead and RMNB, and with the view from across the border, our SB Nation pals over at Pension Plan Puppets.
  • Phil Kessel, meet John Erskine. [Caps Basketball]
  • Need a smile? Here's one, via @drivenbyboredom and Caps Basketball.
    
  • Here's another - big goal on a big day for Joel Ward. [RMNB]
  • Pre-game notes: Marcus Johansson got back in the lineup last night, in place of Mathieu Perreault, and Brooks Laich skated with the boys. [Dump 'n Chase, WaPo (and again), WashTimes, Hockey Shopped]
  • Braden Holtby is taking his pine-riding very well (outwardly, at least). [WaPo, WashTimes]
• Previews of tonight's visit from Philly from Vogs, NHL.com, AP and Peerless, and be sure to check out the best thing about Flyers hockey - our SB Nation partner, Broad Street Hockey - for more from the other side of tonight's match-up.
  • Welcome back, Mike Knuble. [WashTimes]
  • If you're going to the game tonight, consider hanging out with us beforehand. (It's the only way to ensure that no one talks about you behind your back.) [FanShot]
• Alex Ovechkin wants to win. But can he win? [ESPN, and for another "Caps need more from Ovi" article, head over to the Gazette]
• One of the early positives through the rough start has been Mike Ribeiro. [Capitals Outsider]
• The Caps (and Bears) made a couple of minor deals yesterday involving four forwards, shipping out Zach Hamill for Casey Wellman and trading Mathieu Beaudoin for Peter LeBlanc. [WashTimes, Hockey Prospectus (note on Wellman)]
• It's still not panic time. Yet. [gofivehole]
• Buyout candidates? Here are a few names to consider... and quickly forget about considering. [THW]
• Something about ticket prices in the secondary market or something. [KK]