Your savory breakfast links:
- Our own Rob Parker chats with John Walton about Mike Green and playing with a lead. [Capitals Voice]
- A few leftovers from Wednesday’s win over the Pens. [NBC4, WashTimes, AP, Talk the Red, Pensblog]
- No, seriously. That Nicklas Backstrom pass to set up Alex Ovechkin for the power-play goal. Let’s talk about it some more. [Rink]
- In a big game, on a big stage, under a big spotlight, Ovechkin stepped up… big time. [Pressbox DC]
- It seems as if there’s a chance, just a small one, that the Caps and Pens don’t particularly like each other. [NESN]
- Barry Trotz took Jay Beagle off the leash Wednesday night, allowing him to sniff out some scoring chances and fetch opportunities for his line and… okay, we’re done. [CSNW]
- After being shifted to center last season, Eric Fehr is finally starting to feel like a center – and judging by his faceoff prowess against Pittsburgh, playing like one, as well. [WaPo, CSNW]
- Thanks to his two-goal effort against Pittsburgh, Ovechkin is back where he belongs atop the NHL’s goal-scoring leaderboard. [NBC4, WaPo]
- He also finally got to wear the increasingly gross beard and hat as the night’s Honest Abe, the first such honor for the Caps’ captain. [CSNW]
- Hey, remember back in the day when a lot of people outside of DC were prattling on about how Ovechkin should leave DC? Good times. [Rink (FanPost)]
- Some people think that Ovechkin’s quest for yet another Rocket Richard will fall short. Others disagree. [Stars and Sticks]
- Tracking the League’s top performers when it comes to primary points/60 (aka goals plus primary assists) at five on five. [Hockey Wilderness]
- The Caps have one of the League’s best power-play units, and it all begins with a controlled zone entry. [RMNB]
- Ryan Miller hit the open market as one of the biggest free-agent names last July, and the Caps took a hard pass – which was the smart move. [Stars and Sticks]
- Giving each of the Caps’ soon-to-be free agents a thumbs up or thumbs down ruling… except, fun fact, “thumbs up” actually might have meant death. So RIP Mike Green. [RMNB]
- Big doings down in the AHL, where five teams with links to Western Conference NHL clubs will move out west and make up the League’s new Pacific Division. [AHL, Patriot-News, SBNation, Fear the Fin]
- Because no holiday is too small to be immortalized in an AHL jersey, the Bears have special Groundhog Day gear. And don’t forget your booties, ’cause it’s COLD out there today. [Patriot-News, Caps Outsider]
- Finally, happy 43rd birthday to Peter Bondra’s bodyguard, Chris Simon.