Your savory breakfast links:
- The Stars are shining bright in Nashville!
- Evgeny Kuznetsov is trying to soak up the sights, the sounds, and the fun of his first (but probably not last) All-Star experience. [Monumental video, WaPo, WashTimes, CSNMA (and again)]
- Braden Holtby is also making his All-Star Game debut, and the path to Nashville – and to elite goalie status in general – is one he’s traveled with goalie coach Mitch Korn. [Monumental video, WaPo]
- The Caps’ quietest superstar, Nicklas Backstrom was surprised to get a trip to the ASG; everyone around him is surprised that he’s never been. [WaPo]
- Barry Trotz is enjoying a trip down memory lane as he makes his triumphant return to his first NHL home. [Monumental video, SI, CSNMA]
- One of his first stops? A visit to the Nashville branch of Best Buddies, an organization near and dear to his heart. [Monumental video, Ted’s Take]
- Seen and heard at Media Day. [Winnipeg Free Press, Rink]
- All Stars you should get to know (although you probably already know one of them). [CBS Sports]
- There were a lot of questions facing the Caps before the season; just past the halfway point, a lot of those questions now have answers. [Dump ‘n Chase]
- Meanwhile Holtby has been one of the standouts from the first half of the year. [Detroit News]
- How worried should Caps fans be about the nagging injury that has forced Alex Ovechkin to sit out this weekend? [NoVa Caps]
- After a slow start to the season, Andre Burakovsky has regained his form, his confidence, and his scoring touch. [RMNB]
- Taking the media temperature on the Caps right now and down the road. [Rink, CSNMA (video)]
- What does that road look like? Breaking down the remaining schedule by month. [NoVa Caps]
- The Caps have established themselves as bona fide contenders, but that doesn’t mean the path out of the Eastern Conference will be easy. [WaPo]
- 15 numbers from the freakishly good first half that has made them the aforementioned bona fide contenders. [WaPo]
- They may even have a shot (albeit a small one) at the NHL’s record for wins, needing 28 more in the season’s final 35 games to establish a new top mark of 63. [NoVa Caps]
- A wrist injury sidelined Jakub Vrana for the last three months… so of course he made his return and promptly got himself suspended. [CSNMA]
- Checking in on 2015 draftee Jonas Siegenthaler. [StarsandSticks]
- Finally happy 44th birthday to Chris Simon.