I am not a fan of using a player's plus/minus as a barometer of their play on the ice. However, many coaches, players and fans disagree -- and that is OK, but the metric is far from perfect.

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Your savory breakfast links:

• No, really. It's National Hockey Card Day. The shoebox next to my desk rejoices. [NHL.com, Facebook, Upper Deck]
• With the Caps off yesterday, we were left to stew over that stunning loss to Winnipeg... [WashTimes (and again)]
  
  • ... and the unlucky broken stick penalty... [WaPo, WashTimes]
  • ... and the unlucky deflection. [WashTimes, WaPo]
  • ... and the fruitless domination of the first 40 minutes. [Arctic Ice Hockey]
• A quick look ahead to tomorrow's game against the Rangers. [NHL.com]
• Power plays are down League-wide and close to home. [Dump 'n Chase, NHL.com]
• Does Mike Knuble have anything left in the tank? Can we really know, given how he's being deployed? [WaPo, CSNW]
• Either way, are his days in D.C. numbered? [CSNW, PHT]
• As for acquisitions that could be a fit here in Washington, Steve Ott would look good in red (but you might want to ask Jason Chimera for his thoughts first). [KOL, with more deadline thoughts at RtR]
• Karl Alzner did his weekly hit with LaVar Arrington and Chad Dukes and talked a bit about that Jets game (and, presumably unintentionally, refers to them as Atlanta). [106.7 The Fan (audio)]
  
• While we're talking 106.7 The Fan, they keep supporting hockey, new media and this site, as evidenced by the fact that they put me on the air with Chad and LaVar Thursday (listen here) and will be putting me on again with Danny Rouhier at 2:00 this afternoon. Support them by giving a listen when you can.
• Pictures from Caps Care Casino Night (a.k.a. photographic evidence that hockey players have atrocious taste in beer). [RMNB, DSP]
• And speaking of support, Defending The Blue Line can always use yours. [Capitals Outsider]
• The Bears prepared to face a familiar, uh, face... [Patriot-News]
• ... then took him down in the only kind of Syracuse loss we like to see around here. [Patriot-News, SHOE]
• Finally, happy 35th birthday, Dwayne Hay (and yes, we got a little over-excited and wished him a happy birthday yesterday, but can you blame us? I mean, Dwayne Hay, y'all!).

.79 - Alexander Semin's points-per-game in 29 games under Dale Hunter, up from .48 under Bruce Boudreau this season (his penalty minutes are way down as well, from over 1.5 per game to under .5). Over the last 23 games, Semin's had 22 points (9 goals, 13 assists), which, pro-rated over a full season, would be the third-best per-game total of his career.

Of course, with Alexander Semin, you should never pro-rate over a full season...

Your savory breakfast links:

• Recaps and other assorted musings on last night's shootout loss from us, Caps365 video (Hunter, Caps players, Noel, Jets players), Vogs, NHL.com, WaPo (gamer, blog), WashTimes (gamer, blog), CSNW (gamer, Beninati, Sorenson), 106.7 The Fan, SB Nation DC, Peerless, Frankovic, KOL, RMNB, DSP, OFB, RtR, Hockey Hourly, Sick Unbelievable, and clydeorama (pics).
  • In which Jeff Halpern goes for a visit to the Jets' bench. [RMNB]
• Notes and assorted whatnot from yesterday's morning skate:
  • In general. [Caps365 video (Two-Man Advantage, Morning Skate), Capitals Voice (audio), PreCap (audio)]
  • Four words we hadn't expected to see together: Mike Knuble, healthy scratch. [Dump 'n' Chase, NHL.com, WaPo, WashTimes (and again), CSNW (and again (video), 106.7 The Fan]
  • Mike Green skated for the third day in a row and looks to be 'on schedule', however that is defined. [WashTimes]
  • Nick Backstrom's teammates understand his frustration. [WashTimes]
• Addressing shortcomings, forging an identity. [CapsOT]
• Along those lines, the injuries certainly aren't helping. [Hockey Primetime]
• And another look at Bruce vs. Dale [RMNB]
• Caption This! [Homer McFanboy]
• In a Michigan state of mind, Mike Knuble talks Frozen Four and a Winter classic in the Big House. [Be The Thunder, Wash Times]
• The Hershey Bears are gearing up to face the Syracuse Crunch and old friend Andrew Gordon tonight. [Patriot-News]
• Caps prospect Evgeny Kuznetsov had a stellar game for Team Russia, with a hard-working assist and a beauty breakaway (through traffic) goal for a 2-0 victory over Finland. [FanShot (video), RMNB, Alex Ovetjkin]
• Finally, happy 35th birthday, Dwayne Hay.