Your savory breakfast links:
- Recaps and other assorted musings on last night’s shootout loss from us (with quotes, and check out the night in GIFs), Vogs, Monumental video (Oates, Ovechkin, Backstrom, Carlson, Laich), NHL.com, AP, WaPo, WashTimes (and again), CSNW, Frankovic, Peerless, F Street Faithful, RtR, RMNB, DSP, and from the left coast, Mercury News and Fear the Fin.
- The lone goal for the Caps came off the stick of – who else? – Alex Ovechkin, who picked up his 33rd of the season on the sharpest of angles. Seriously, get out the protractor. [WaPo, CSNW, SB Nation, RMNB]
- Aaron Volpatti and Mike Brown did their best Rock ‘Em, Sock ‘Em Robots impression to the delight of… well, some people, I suppose. Blood! Face-punching! Hockey!! [Puck Daddy, PHT, Hockey Fights, CSNW]
- News and notes from yesterday’s practice:
- In general. [Monumental video (Oates, Laich, Rinkside Update / Alzner)]
- Adam Oates sees similarities between Tom Wilson and the Sharks‘ Joe Thornton – particularly in how they’re being handled in their rookie year. [WaPo, CSNW]
- Last night’s game against the Sharks was just the start of a tough stretch for the Caps, which includes several road games and a slew of Metropolitan Division foes. Hooray? [NHL.com]
- Previews of tonight’s battle in the ‘Burgh from Vogs and NHL.com, and be sure to check out our SB Nation pals over at Pensburgh for the other side of tonight’s match-up.
- Penguins‘ blueliners Brooks Orpik and Rob Scuderi discuss the tough task that faces them tonight as they attempt to shut down Ovechkin. [TribLive]
- Five years after one of the better playoff series in recent memory, there has yet to be a rematch in the postseason between the Caps and Pens. Frankly I can wait a little longer. [TribLive]
- With Philipp Grubauer in net against the Sharks, who will get the call against the Penguins tonight? [CSNW]
- Chatting about the Caps’ defense with the man who oversees it, Calle Johansson. [RMNB]
- Rounding up Olympic and Olympic-adjacent news:
- Ovechkin has been the face of the Caps since arriving here in 2005; now he’s the face of Russia’s hockey hopes, and all the pressure that goes with trying to win gold on home ice. [AP]
- The official trade deadline will be on March 5, but with the upcoming Olympic roster freeze, there may be something of an unofficial trade deadline looming a bit sooner. [ESPN]
- Because of that roster freeze, there are complicated rules about who can go where – but Philipp Grubauer, Dmitry Orlov and Connor Carrick will probably be headed to Hershey during the break. [Patriot-News]
- And check out the full schedule for the hockey portion of the Olympics to find out when the Caps’ representatives will be playing. Set those alarm clocks and gather that caffeine! [CBS Sports]
- An updated look of the top 50 drafted prospects this season, with a handful of future Caps making the cut. [ESPN ($)]
- There’s an epidemic spreading through the NHL this season. It’s already claimed poor Jack Hillen. Run, save yourselves! [BHS]
- From a few days ago, Adam Oates isn’t the only one in the hockey world who focuses on which way a player shoots – and some, like Monumental Sports’ own VP Kurt Kehl, have it memorized. Amazing. [NY Times]
- A dictionary of popular NHL terms, phrases and expressions that only Down Goes Brown could craft. [Grantland]
- Hey, remember that time that Olie Kolzig left the Caps, signed with the Lightning and then was traded for a phantom draft pick? …yeah, me neither. [Grantland (DGB)]
- All your favorite Caps characters, plenty of booze…all that’s missing is the soul-wrenching hockey and you’ve got yourself a typical evening in CapsNation. [YouTube, WaPo]
- Finally, happy 61st birthday to Randy Holt.
