Your savory breakfast links:
- Previews of tonight’s rendezvous with the Red Wings (now an Eastern Conference rival!) from Vogs, NHL.com, AP, Peerless and the Red Wings, and be sure to check out our SB Nation pals over at Winging It In Motown for the other side of tonight’s matchup.
- After missing the last ten games, Jonathan Ericsson is back in the lineup for the Wings and gets the honor of taking on Alex Ovechkin in his return. Lucky boy. [MLive]
- Your Capitals Minute for today. [Capitals Voice]
- Be sure to check out all of Clyde’s awesome shots from Tuesday’s overtime win over Columbus. [Rink]
- Tackling the idea of Brooks Laich on the blueline and whether Nicklas Backstrom could win the Selke in this week’s Mailbag. Keep the questions coming – you ask, we answer! [Rink]
- In the latest installment of All My Forwards:
- The top line of Ovechkin, Backstrom and Martin Erat have only been together for a handful of games and are still looking for that elusive chemistry… [WaPo]
- …something which continues to be lacking on the second line, regardless of who centers it… [WaPo]
- …but have no fear, because Joel Ward and the third line are here to save the day! [Rink, WaPo, WashTimes]
- And on today’s episode of Days of our Blueliners:
- A lower-body injury – bruise, allegedly – has Mike Green as questionable for tonight’s game… [WaPo, CSNW]
- …which means another healthy body was needed. Enter Tyson Strachan, who was called up from Hershey yesterday. [Caps, WaPo, CSNW, Patriot-News]
- So what about Dmitry Orlov? Well, he’s back to Chocolatetown – but he’ll get his chance, or so sayeth George McPhee. [WaPo, NBCW]
- McPhee had other things to say yesterday, as well, as he checked in with the media on the state of his team. [CSNW]
- Chatting with the coach, the captain and Steve Oleksy before the team hit the road once more. [Monumental video (Oates, Ovechkin, Rinkside Update/Oleksy)]
- The Caps and Bears are benefiting from hanging on to Connor Carrick and Tom Wilson, but the loss of the two has hit the Plymouth Whalers hard. [Nanaimo Daily News]
- Ted Leonsis chats about professional sports ownership, a multi-platform world and the future of Monumental Network. [WaPo, Sports Business Daily]
- It’s not an easy task to decide on the best NHL players ever – when it comes to this elite group, Alex Ovechkin is probably just happy to be nominated. [Copper ‘n Blue]
- Sure, he’s elite, but what are the odds of Ovechkin repeating as the NHL’s scoring champ? [Capitals Voice]
- Checking in on the farm and the future:
- After a sluggish start to the season, the Bears are above .500 for the first time after an offensive explosion against Charlotte last night. [Patriot-News, SHOE]
- Taking a look at the NHL potential of Caps’ prospect and University of Miami superstar Riley Barber. [SBN College Hockey]
- Previewing the upcoming Super Series, which will feature a host of talented young prospects, including Caps’ 2013 draftee Madison Bowey. [ESPN ($)]
- Potential investors who dream of owning a pro sports team, take note: the Reading Royals are for sale. [Reading Eagle]
- Minor-league teams are never short on themed jerseys, but these Winter Classic Caps-themed Royals jerseys are pretty slick. [Caps Outsider]
- Before the Caps headed off to Detroit, Erat had a special visitor stop by to say goodbye – his son, Sebastian. The cute. It hurts. [Monumental video, RMNB]
- Hockey ‘n Heels took to the ice the other night, along with some Caps players… including Steve Oleksy, who was trained well in the art of purse-holding. [Monumental video, WaPo]
- Will the NHL create a special rule stemming from Ray Emery’s attack on Braden Holtby a few weeks ago? [Caps Outsider]
- Karl Alzner really doesn’t want his crazy celebrations on the bench to become a big thing. Sorry, Karl – the internet sees all, and never forgets. [RMNB]
- After Tuesday’s OT win, Michal Neuvirth threw his hat on the ice in celebration, and the hat made the rounds. [Caps Outsider]