Friday Caps Clips: Taking Down the Champs

Your savory breakfast links:

• Recaps and other assorted musings from us, Vogs, Monumental video (highlights, Trotz, Ovechkin, Holtby, Niskanen, Stephenson, Oshie), NHL.com, AP, WaPo (gamer, blog), CSNMA (gamer, blog), Frankovic, SovSport, Stars and Sticks, RMNB, DSP, and from up Michigan Avenue, Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun-Times, NBC Chicago, Da Windy City and Second City Hockey.
  • Congrats to T.J. Oshie on picking up his first goal as a Capital... on the power play, natch. He'll fit in just fine here. [Monumental video, Puck Daddy, Caps Outsider]
  • Braden Holtby: Still awesome. [CSNMA]
    • Per Elias: Braden Holtby made 26 saves as he backstopped the Capitals to a 4-1 victory over the Blackhawks in Washington. Holtby has won all three of his games versus Chicago over the last two seasons, holding the Hawks to a total of five goals in those three games. Though the Capitals are in a different conference than Chicago, Holtby's three wins against the Blackhawks over the last two seasons tie him with Winnipeg's Michael Hutchinson and Colorado's Semyon Varlamov for the league high.
  • The game featured a nice little reunion for a couple of North Dakota alumni in Oshie, Taylor Chorney and 'Hawks captain Jonathan Toews. Well... nicer for some than others. [CSNMA]
  • Seriously, Russians, just get out of here with this play. [CBS Sports]
  • And while he may never replace "Game Over," don't sleep on John Carlson. Per Elias: Defenseman John Carlson's first goal of the season was the game-winner in the Capitals' 4-1 victory against the Blackhawks. Only four of Carlson's first 43 career goals were game-winning goals, but including his final two goals last season his last three regular-season tallies have been decisive.
• A few thoughts on Patrick Kane's arrival in DC, and how we as fans can try to be better. [Rink, with more from Puck Daddy]
• Reviewing Tuesday night's loss from the perspective of coach, players, fans and stats. [THW]
• The new coach's challenge is getting high marks from goalies, and from coaches not named Barry Trotz. [CP]
• One of the franchise's earliest (and most memorable) coaches, Tommy McVie is now 80 years old... and still at the hockey rink every day. [Edmonton Journal]
• News and notes from yesterday's brief practice:
  • In general. [Dump 'n Chase, Monumental video (Trotz, Chorney, Rinkside Update/Carlson)]
  • Sounds like Nicklas Backstrom could be inching ever closer to a return. How much closer? Might want to get your tickets for Saturday's game if you haven't already. [NHL.com, CSNMA]
  • Disappointed in his team's performance Tuesday night, Trotz wasted no time in shuffling the lines a bit and bringing Chandler Stephenson up for his NHL debut. [Caps, WaPo, Stars and Sticks, CSNMA]
  • Now that Mike Green is gone, other blueliners have had to fill the void, particularly on the power play - and Matt Niskanen is feeling up to the challenge. [Pressbox DC]
• The Caps may have found a strong fourth-line center in Michael Latta. [TSS]
• A few wins last night aside, the Metropolitan Division has not been quite as good as people thought it might be to start the season. As in not good at all. [Grantland, Rink]
• The ability to scout goaltenders is an important one for any franchise - but it's also insanely difficult. [ESPN ($)]
• After losing out on the backup job to Philipp Grubauer, Justin Peters is settling in to his new gig in Hershey with class. Go get 'em, Petey. [Patriot News]
• The Caps' prospects are off to a strong start to the season on their respective farm teams. [CSNMA]
• To commemorate the shooting in a Charleston church back in June, the Stingrays will be wearing and auctioning off special "Charleston Strong" jerseys - and you can bid on them online. [NBC2]
• Finally, happy 30th birthday to Jay Beagle, happy 48th to Joe Murphy, and raise a glass to the memory of the late Steve Atkinson, who would have been 67 today.