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Tuesday Caps Clips: First Stars and Failing Strength

Your savory breakfast links:

  • The most glaring issue for the Caps through the first week has been their lack of production at even strength… and everyone’s talking about it. (But read our take first because it’s the best.) [CBC (30 Thoughts), WaPo, NBCW]
  • Your Capitals Minute for today. [Capitals Voice]
  • News and notes from practice:
    • In general. [Monumental video (Oates, Ovechkin, Brouwer, Ward, Rinkside Update/Oleksy), Dump ‘n Chase]
    • The team’s off to a 1-2 start and can’t score at even strength… but according to Adam Oates, that doesn’t mean they should change up the lines just yet. Sure, because that would be silly. [WaPo, PHT]
    • Big news in the Metropolitan Division, as the Flyers fire head coach Peter Laviolette after just three games; some of the Caps react to the stunning-but-not-really-stunning news. [CSNW]
    • Oates weighs in on RGIII, because everyone in DC is now contractually obligated to weigh in on RGIII. [Bog]
  • The five-on-five stuff is a concern… but man alive is that power play ever sweet. [Peerless]
  • Our first weekly look at the individual Washington Capitals‘ ups and downs is up. And down. [Rink]
  • One guy who is definitely trending up? Alex Ovechkin, who is off to a red-hot start which has earned him First Star of the Week honors from the NHL. [Caps, Capitals Overtime, NHL.com, Yahoo, WaPo, CSNW, THW, CBC]
  • Going the opposite direction of up – the Caps, in this week’s ESPN power rankings. Yowch. [ESPN]
  • George McPhee probably wasn’t listening to all of us asking him to do something this summer, but he did by signing Mikhail Grabovski – now, will it work? [WaPo]
  • Prior to the start of the season, owner Ted Leonsis stated that he didn’t see any weaknesses on this Caps team. Right, like none of you have ever been wrong before. [WaPo]
  • Some good stuff from our SBN pals:
    • Great look at whether or not fighting really does serve as a deterrent for those who might carry out other nasty business. [PPP]
    • On maintaining both fandom and civility: “Why can’t we just be a fans of a team and still being able to enjoy the game for what it is, no matter what happens?” [Stanley Cup of Chowder]
  • Fantasy hockey enthusiasts, take heed, as a couple of Caps check in as most valuable (and one notable name pops up as quite the opposite. [Puck Daddy]
  • Player notes from the first week of the season, including Martin Erat‘s puzzling ice time. [TSN]
  • Interesting look at the 2012 draft, which produced a myriad of defensemen – of whom 5th-round pick Connor Carrick was the first to play in an NHL game. [RMNB]
  • Speaking of Carrick, he and fellow Plymouth alum Tom Wilson are making their OHL team – and Whalers coach Mike Vellucci – proud. [Capitals Voice]
  • Nashville’s Seth Jones talks about his role as not only a rookie defenseman but a role model and face of the NHL’s growing diversity. [WaPo]
  • Checking in on the Bears after opening night. [Patriot-News, SHOE]
  • Riley Barber could be a dark horse candidate for this year’s Hobey Baker Award. [NHL.com]
  • The Caps have released their promotional schedule, and you know what that means… free stuff! We really do just love free stuff, don’t we? [Caps Outsider]
  • Poor Joel Ward is going to be hearing about his thrilling rescue from a Dallas bathroom stall for the rest of his life. Because people might forget, but the internet never does. [WaPo, CSNW]
  • Finally, happy 54th birthday to John Blum.

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