Your savory breakfast links:
- Recaps and other assorted musings from last night’s overtime loss in Chicago from Vogs, Capitals Voice (Grabovksi goal, Johansson goal), WaPo, CSNW, AP, CSN Chicago and Chicago Tribune (pics).
- The scoring thing is starting to click for the Caps’ second line; now they need to work on celebrating. It’s okay, guys, it’s preseason. No one expects you to… not fall down. [RMNB]
- In what has to be a pretty thrilling preseason already, playing at United Center was the ultimate thrill for Illinois native Connor Carrick. [Dump ‘n Chase]
- And that’s a wrap on the preseason – bring on the meaningful (and perhaps less fight-filled) games! [Caps Outsider]
- News and notes from out at Kettler:
- Brooks Laich has stayed off the ice in recent days – purely precautionary, allegedly – but was back out there yesterday and appears ready to go Tuesday night. Allegedly. [DSP, RMNB]
- After stepping into the lineup late last year and performing admirably for the team, Steven Oleksy is looking to stay in DC. [Capitals Voice]
- Some were asking whether Tyson Strachan could be the team’s seventh defenseman this year; that question appears to have an answer now that Strachan’s on waivers. [WaPo, Patriot-News]
- Tom Wilson has done everything asked of him (and more) as a 19-year-old Caps’ hopeful. Now it’s in the team’s hands… [CSNW]
- …along with a few other decisions that still need to be made before Tuesday’s season opener. [WaPo]
- Candid (“candid”) talk from George McPhee about all things Caps, including the difficulty of being good – and staying good – in today’s NHL. [CSNW]
- Alex Ovechkin will face the challenge of playing two roles this year – that of Caps’ captain and NHL superstar, and the face of Russia’s Olympic hockey hopes. [WaPo]
- Speaking of Ovechkin and the Olympics, he was off to Greece shortly after wrapping up a 6-3 victory over the Flyers… [Capitals Overtime (pics: 1, 2, 3), RMNB]
- … and here he is, running with the torch. Awesome. [WaPo, Capitals Overtime (pics: 1, 2)]
- One reminder to Alex as he begins his duties as Sochi ambassador: you have a duty to the people here in Washington, too. All of them. [Human Rights First]
- Philadelphia’s Zac Rinaldo will not face suspension for his hit on Mikhail Grabovski. Pro tip: screenshots of bodies in motion are always solid evidence. [@NHLShanahan (part 1, part 2, part 3), PHT]
- Looking ahead to the season:
- The Caps made a late push to make the playoffs last season; this year, they’re hoping to build off of that success. [NHL.com]
- Perhaps it will help to have a full camp, and many, many preseason games, under their belt this time around. [NHL.com]
- Entering the last year of his entry-level deal, Dmitry Orlov is still a key part of the Caps’ future. [NHL.com]
- Peerless’s preseason player previews proceed. [Peerless (Oleksy, Neuvirth, Holtby)]
- 10 story lines to follow as the NHL’s 2013-14 season gets underway, including the Russian contingent facing Olympic pressure. [TribLIVE]
- A year after the NHL’s owners bolted the doors and set the lockout in motion, all appears to be well in Hockeyworld… y’know, for at least another seven years or so. [Chicago Tribune]
- Ranking fantasy hockey players is clearly a highly scientific venture. I know I’d rather have James Neal, with just one 60+ point season, over Ovechkin, who has topped 100 points four times. [Globe and Mail]
- Camp Chocolatetown:
- Hershey followed up a 6-0 rout over the Utica Comets with an equally impressive 6-1 win over rival Wilkes-Barre, with help from David Mitchell and Philipp Grubauer. [Hershey Bears, Patriot-News(and again)]
- Two games into their preseason slate and the Bears are rolling at 2-0… and rolling over their opponents in the process, outscoring them 12-1. [THW]
- Which of course means that the next round of roster cuts will be a tough one for Mike Haviland and friends. [Patriot-News]
- Mike Wise reminds DC sports fans that it’s better to set the bar low and be pleasantly surprised than to set it high and be disappointed. Though to be fair, “the window is still open” is hardly “World Series or bust!” (Sorry, Davey.) [WaPo]
- Finally, happy 63rd birthday to Rolf Edberg and happy 49th to John Tucker.
