Your savory breakfast links:
- Previews of tonight’s battle with Les Glorieux from Vogs, NHL.com, AP, Peerless, RDS, Montreal Gazette, and be sure to check out our SB Nation pals over at Eyes on the Prize for the other side of tonight’s matchup.
- Your Capitals Minute for today. [Capitals Voice]
- Checking in with this week’s Japers’ Rink Mailbag, where we talk the black hole of possession that is the “second” line, and Dmitry Orlov‘s future. Keep those questions coming! [Rink]
- Yeah, about that second line… they haven’t been good. At least they know it, which is something. But they’re staying together for now, which is something else. [CSNW]
- One of the reasons for the Caps’ (relative) success so far has been the play of Braden Holtby, who has put together a pretty impressive start to his career. But what is his future? [Rink]
- News and notes from yesterday’s practice:
- In general. [Monumental video (Oates, Chimera, Brouwer, Rinkside Update/Johansson), CSNW]
- After missing the last three games with a lower-body bruise (…okay), Mike Green is set to make his return to the lineup tonight. Huzzah! [WaPo]
- A little less than a year into their time together as coach and captain, Adam Oates is still cultivating a relationship with Alex Ovechkin. [CP]
- Because you just can’t get enough of it, a few leftovers from Wednesday’s oh-so-fun loss to the Penguins. Wheee. [WaPo, Peerless, Pensburgh]
- “When they scored a goal we weren’t ourselves and that’s something we should have conquered by now.” Y’think? [CSNW]
- Good breakdown of why simply blaming “execution” for the loss is not enough. (Bonus: possibly the first-ever use of the word “fugacious” in a hockey post.) [RMNB]
- So what exactly is it that the Caps are missing when it comes to the Penguins? Or more precisely… who? [Rink]
- Believe it or not, even after the loss to Pittsburgh
the sun still came upthe Caps are still one of the better teams in the East. Okay, low bar, but still… [Philly] - Speaking of low bars, how about that much-tougher-than-the-Southeast Metropolitan Division? [WashTimes]
- Radio hits:
- Joe Beninati checks in with his thoughts on the Caps, including some high praise for one Nicklas Backstrom… [WNST]
- …and Karl Alzner chats with Jeff Marek and Greg Wyshynski on Marek vs Wyshynski. [Fan590]
- Predicting which NHL teams are due to rise up and which are ripe for a fall based on their Corsi through 20 games. [Sportsnet]
- Some of the League’s teams have had a healthy diet of backup goalies so far this year. Why hello there, Pittsburgh and Colorado… [ESPN]
- More on the awesomely horrible – horribly awesome? – holiday sweaters headed the Reading Royals’ way. Seriously. These are amazing. [Philly.com, Rare Vintage Wear]
- Tom Wilson had a pretty nice day off on Monday – he bought his first car. Mazel Tov! [Monumental video]
- Nice upgrade from how he spent his free time at Development Camp this summer, when he – along with 10-12 of his fellow campers – went to see the One Direction movie. Um, no judgment. [Bog]
- More on Steve Oleksy‘s act of purse-holding chivalry at Hockey ‘n Heels. [Bog]
- Finally, you might have missed it, but the Caps were actually on the teevee last night (but if we’re talking Will Arnett and a bald guy with blue face paint, give us this). [Bog]