Your savory breakfast links:
- Recaps and other assorted musings on last night’s shootout loss from us (QuickCap, recap, GIFs), Vogs, Monumental video (Trotz, Ovechkin, Burakovsky, Orpik, Holtby, highlights), NHL.com, WaPo, WashTimes, CSNW, AP, Peerless, GM on a Couch, DSP and RMNB, and from the other side of things Canadiens, RDS, EOTP (and again), Gazette (and again), and Hockey Inside/Out.
- The season opener proved to be a very eventful debut for a couple of rookies… [WaPo, WashTimes, CSNW]
- …as Andre Burakovsky‘s lovely first NHL goal was the lone tally for the Caps… [Rink, Monumental video, CBS Sports, Expressen, Buzzing the Net]
- [Per Elias: Nineteen-year-old Andre Burakovsky, making his NHL debut, scored the only goal for the Capitals in their 2-1 loss to the Canadiens. Burakovsky is the 13th player to make his NHL debut with the Capitals and score a goal in his first game, but he’s only the fifth teenager to do that for Washington. The others are Bobby Carpenter (age 18 in October 1981), Mike Siltala (age 18 in December 1981), Chris Valentine (age 19 in November 1982) and Scott Stevens (age 18 in 1982).]
- …and Liam O’Brien picked up his first NHL fight when he dropped the gloves with a pretty tough customer in Brandon Prust. [Hockeyfights, PHT, CSNW]
- Meanwhile Brooks Orpik made his presence known in his first game as a Capital, and earned himself third-star honors for his work. [Monumental video]
- The lineup against Montreal was almost complete, except for the absence of Mike Green, who missed the first game of the season with that nagging upper-body injury. [Monumental video, WaPo, WashTimes, CSNW]
- Okay, yes… this may have been a bit of a dive by the captain. But ice is slippery! [Puck Daddy, SBNation, The Score]
- Twists, turns and storylines abound for 2014-15 – here’s a look at some things to keep an eye on. [Rink]
- With a loss on opening night, the Caps still have a long way to go to reach hockey heaven. Sure, because it’s GAME ONE. [WaPo (Feinstein)]
- News and notes from yesterday’s game-day skate:
- In general. [Monumental video (Trotz, Burakovsky, O’Brien, Ovechkin, Rinkside Update/Orpik)]
- The second-line center battle that has plagued the team in recent years appears to have been (quietly) settled… for now. [WaPo, The Score, Stars and Sticks]
- The Caps have been favorites before; maybe flying under the radar will suit them better. [WaPo]
- Mike Green certainly thinks it will, and has high expectations for the season ahead. [CSNW]
- The times, they are a-changing for the Caps as the heady days of offensive outbursts may be behind them. [TSN.ca]
- Could this be the year that everything comes together for Alex Ovechkin? [Puck Daddy]
- Pinpointing the pivotal “fancy stats” for all 30 NHL teams as the 2014-15 season gets underway. [WaPo]
- A couple of Caps’ young’uns could be in the running for the Calder Trophy. [ESPN($)]
- Sure, the immediate future looks pretty bright… but fast-forward a few years, and how do the Caps stack up? [ESPN($)]
- Looking at how fourth lines can maximize team output. [AP Hockey]
- The early-season waiver wire may have a few hidden gems for your fantasy hockey team, including new top-line winger Eric Fehr. [Puck Daddy]
- John Walton catches up with Barry Trotz about rookie debuts, Mike Green’s injury and more. [Capitals Voice]
- Happy 40th, Caps! [NHL.com]
- A quartet of Caps’ legends were in town to kick off the franchise’s 40th year, and caught up with the press, where Sylvain Cote talked about… the moon? [Monumental video, Caps Outsider]
- The Capitals – a team 40 years in the making. [Monumental video]
- A tribute to the Secretary of Defense, Rod Langway. [Monumental video]
- Last night marked the 40th anniversary of the franchise’s first season opener, a 6-3 loss to the Rangers. [Dump ‘n Chase]
- Check out how the Washington Post covered that eventful day back in 1974. [WaPo]
- Hershey updates:
- Ten things to watch during the 2014-15 season for the Bears, which gets underway this Saturday against the Norfolk Admirals… [Patriot-News]
- …when Philipp Grubauer is expected to be in net. [Patriot-News]
- An influx of top prospects from the parent club could help give the Bears a boost this season. [Patriot-News]
- The Caps’ logo for the Winter Classic is pretty nice, but check out this logo that didn’t make the cut. [Icethetics]
- Walk down memory lane with Alex Ovechkin, Jason Chimera and Justin Peters as they reflect back on their own NHL debuts. [Monumental video]
- The latest trend in DC locker rooms? Bristly, bountiful beards. [WUSA9]
- Ah, nothing makes a day brighter than a couple of gasbags talking nonsense about local teams for a national audience. [WaPo]
- Finally, Swedish media is reporting that the International Ice Hockey Federation has completed its investigation of the doping charges laid against Nicklas Backstrom at Sochi, and has exonerated Backstrom completely. [Aftonbladet]