Your savory breakfast links:
- Dropping knowledge:
- Caps defensive deployment – what is working and what is not. Ahem. [Rink, and for much more on the Carlzner breakup, head over to NHL.com]
- What is the deal with those bad back-ends of the back-to-back games? Better figure it out real quick… [Rink]
- … and then there’s the question of the backup goalie. Oh boy. [Rink]
- Alex Ovechkin has steamrolled his way up to third on the Rocket Richard shortlist – will he be able to prevail for a third consecutive year? [Rink]
- Recaps and other assorted musings on last night’s loss from us, Vogs, Monumental video (Trotz, Brouwer, Holtby, Alzner, Burakovsky, Niskanen), NHL.com, WaPo (gamer, blog), CSNW (gamer, blog), AP, Peerless, DSP (recap, three stars), RMNB, and from the other end of the ice, The Cannon and Columbus Dispatch.
- Congratulations to Nicklas Backstrom on the occasion of his 400th career assist, which also happened to be his 542nd point in his 542nd game. [CSNW, RMNB]
- Previews of tonight’s promenade with Pittsburgh from Vogs (plus game notes), NHL.com, Peerless, and be sure to check out our SB Nation pals over at PensBurgh for the other side of tonight’s matchup.
- Huh. In a late Tuesday trade, Pens GM Jim Rutherford sent penalty-killing centerman Marcel Goc to St. Louis for Maxim Lapierre. [THN]
- News and notes from yesterday’s pregame skate:
- In general. [Dump ‘n Chase, Monumental video (Trotz, Ward, Ovechkin, Rinkside Update/Fehr)]
- Welcome, Cam Schilling , who got the call to The Show just after he arrived in Florida for his AHL All-Star break vacay. [WaPo]
- Brooks Orpik totally agrees that Brooks Orpik has been taking too many penalties, and darnit, Brooks Orpik is frustrated. [WaPo]
- Score three goals and your team should come out on top, sez Coach Trotz. Right? [WaPo]
- Caps are more concerned with the teams ahead of them in the standings than the teams behind. Y’know, for now. [Puck Daddy]
- Perhaps the team can practice playing with a lead… tonight. [RMNB]
- The Post Sports Live crew take a look at what the Caps might need to change. [WaPo (video)]
- Set your calendars – the new release date for “Red Army” is February 6. [Caps Outsider]
- Get some eyewash before you click on this link to read about the Schaab family’s reaction to Ovi’s All-Star car donation. The post is excessively dusty. [RMNB]
- Our SB Nation brethren at St. Louis Game Time are planning a meetup in DC before the Blues game on Super Bowl Sunday and we are all invited. I’ll be there; hope lots of you can attend as well, and perhaps we can rehash the D.J. King for Stefan Della Rovere trade over some festive beverages. [FanShot]
- Finally, happy 66th birthday to Jack Egers and happy 49th birthday to Michal Pivonka