Your savory breakfast links:
- Previews of tonight’s clash with the Cats from Vogs, NHL.com, AP, the Sun-Sentinel and Peerless, and be sure to check out our SB Nation pals over at Litter Box Cats for the other side of tonight’s matchup.
- Finally stateside, Marcus Johansson met the team in Florida last night but is a gametime decision for tonight’s game. [WaPo, CSNW]
- Meanwhile Jack Hillen is getting closer to a return every day, but is slightly less convinced of his readiness than his coach is. [CSNW]
- Your Capitals Minute for today. [Capitals Voice]
- Really fascinating look at how Team Russia’s hockey team was run, and why Alex Ovechkin and Evgeni Malkin might be particularly happy to be back in the NHL. [TribLIVE]
- Sittin’ at the end of the (Caps) bar, talkin’ playoffs and goalies and blueliners and the like. [Rink]
- News and notes from yesterday out at Kettler:
- In general. [Monumental video (Oates, Green, Rinkside Update/Chimera), Caps OT]
- The Caps have been inconsistent this year, but that doesn’t mean Adam Oates is ready to change up his plan of attack. [WaPo]
- Just in case Johansson is unable to go, the Caps called up center Nicolas Deschamps… [Caps, Patriot-News]
- …and if Hillen’s not quite ready, Julien Brouillette is back up with the team to fill in. [Caps, CSNW, Patriot-News]
- Mikhail Grabovski still needs a new contract, Martin Erat still needs a trade, and the next week could be a busy one for George McPhee. [WaPo, CSNW]
- With a weak crop of UFAs this summer and a stagnant trade market, GMGM’s first priority should be on re-signing Grabovski. Hells to the yeah. [Talk the Red]
- So what exactly are the Caps’ plans at the trade deadline? [ESPN ($)]
- McPhee hasn’t exactly had to field the tough questions from the local media these days. [The Fingerman]
- The Caps are currently three points out of a playoff spot, but the road to the playoffs involves much more than just accumulating a few more points. [Express]
- Check out how the Metropolitan Division is shaping up after the Olympics. [Puck Daddy]
- After everything he’s been through and everything he’s achieved, Nicklas Backstrom deserved – and deserves – better than what he’s been going through. [CSNW]
- A look back at the fateful trade that sent Peter Bondra to Ottawa for Brooks Laich… which was a decade ago, if you can believe it. [WashTimes]
- A pissed-off Alex Ovechkin could be something to see down the stretch, especially since it’s not like he was having trouble scoring goals before the Olympics. [Puck Daddy]
- Erat didn’t win a medal with the Czech Republic, but he still had plenty to celebrate last week, as he and his wife welcomed their second child. [WaPo]
- A scoring bonanza from the defense in Sochi has all eyes on the League’s offensive defensemen. That’s right, fantasy hockey enthusiasts, Mike Green is one to snap up. [NHL.com]
- Get a glimpse into Backstrom’s childhood…a more innocent time, to be sure. [RMNB]
- Finally, happy 57th birthday to Mike Kaszycki.