Your savory breakfast links:
- Previews of tonight’s battle with the Jackets from Vogs, NHL.com, AP, Peerless, and the Jackets, and be sure to check out our SB Nation pals over at The Cannon for the other side of tonight’s matchup.
- Scott Hartnell may or may not be a healthy scratch after taking some undisciplined penalties. But hey, at least he apologized… [Dispatch]
- News and notes from a non-skate day:
- They’ve done some pretty good work in their fill-in roles, but the threat of waivers has sent Zach Sill and Aaron Ness back to Hershey. [Caps, WaPo, CSNMA, Stars and Sticks]
- He got into a couple of games over the weekend, and Philipp Grubauer continues to shine in his backup role. [WaPo, WashTimes, CSNMA]
- If this is The Year, the Caps may be all in on the pieces they need to get to the Cup – which may include soon-to-be UFA defenseman Dustin Byfuglien. [TSS]
- Don’t look now, but Marcus Johansson is quietly having a career season. The goon. [NoVa Caps]
- To anyone who suggests shadowing Alex Ovechkin as a solution for the Caps’ potent power play, a word of warning: it doesn’t always work. [NHL Special Teams]
- A few leftovers from Sunday’s win over the Rangers. [Dump ‘n Chase]
- Rank ’em. [Rink]
- Debating Alex Ovechkin’s future and legacy. [THW]
- A look back at the week that was. [NoVa Caps]
- Mike Richards is just the latest of the new acquisitions to be paying off for the Caps. [NoVa Caps, RMNB, LA Times]
- He doesn’t get the same amount of attention as some of the others, but Taylor Chorney has been a very under the radar signing for the team. [CSNMA]
- With Richards hopefully filling a bottom-six role and Jay Beagle returning eventually, what does the future hold for longtime Cap Brooks Laich? [NoVa Caps, CSNMA]
- And who plays on a line with Richards? [WaPo]
- Not sure one three-goal game and a game in which he was sick qualifies as “adversity” for Braden Holtby, but… okay. [ESPN]
- Tom Wilson is starting to find his role with the Caps, and with it, his consistency. [StarsandSticks]
- Meanwhile Andre Burakovsky has six points in his last four games and seems to be getting back into the groove. [WaPo]
- Count Caps’ owner Ted Leonsis as one of the League’s top power brokers. [Sportsnet]
- Everyone is talking about the Caps’ crossword addiction – and judging Nate Schmidt for his lack of crossword etiquette. [The Guardian]
- Finally, happy 62nd birthday to Don McLean, and happy 50th birthday to Sylvain Cote.