Your savory breakfast links:
- Recaps and other assorted musings on last night’s win from us, Vogs, Monumental video (Caps: Trotz, Williams, Oshie, Niskanen, Richards; Pens: Sullivan, room; highlights), NHL.com, AP,
WaPo, CSNMA, Frankovic, RMNB, Friends in Cold Places, NoVa Caps, TribLive, Post-Gazette, Peerless, and Pensburgh.- T.J. Oshie certainly made his mark in this game (and at times the game made its mark on him). [CSNMA]
- And that’s #40 for #70. [The Score]
- Via Elias: Former Penguins defenseman Matt Niskanen scored the third-period goal that completed the Capitals’ comeback from a 2-0 deficit and gave Washington its 3-2 victory over Pittsburgh. Niskanen is the second former Penguins player to score a game-winning goal to beat Pittsburgh this season; Max Talbot scored the decider for the Bruins against the Pens on December 16. Niskanen scored six game-winning goals in his final season with the Penguins (2013-14), setting a franchise record for game-winners by a defenseman in one season.
- The new kids in town. [WaPo]
- Tom Wilson is starting to grow into the player the Caps were hoping he’d be. [Rink]
- Our own Kevin Klein checked in with John Walton for his weekly Caps Radio 24/7 hit, with more on Wilson’s evolution and the Laich trade to Toronto [Rink]
- The latest edition of our weekly look at individual Washington Capitals ups and downs. [Rink]
- A few final thoughts on this weekend’s big trade:
- Reflecting on Laich’s time in Washington and what his return to DC tonight might be like… watch those feet, Brooks. [WaPo, WashTimes, CSNMA, THW, The Score, TFP, Caps Outsider]
- It’s worth watching Laich talk about his first day with his new team just to hear him refer to Nicklas Backstrom as “a cute little Swede”. Seriously. [Sportsnet, Toronto Sun]
- Welcome to DC, Daniel Winnik! [Rink, Monumental video, WaPo, CSNMA, RMNB]
- Everything must go. [Caps Outsider]
- News and notes from yesterday’s pregame skate:
- In general. [Dump ‘n Chase, Monumental video (Trotz, Chimera, Chorney, Holtby, Rinkside Update/Burakovsky)]
- Our Rob Parker swung by our SB Nation pals over at Pensburgh to give them the skinny on the Caps. [Pensburgh]
- After making the move from Buffalo to DC (and attending the birth of his second child), Mike Weber prepared to make his Caps debut against his hometown team. [WaPo, CSNMA, Post-Gazette]
- Previews of tonight’s Caps-Leafs throwdown from NHL.com, Peerless, and the Toronto Star, and be sure to visit our SB Nation pals over at Pension Plan Puppets for the other side of tonight’s matchup.
- Learn more things from Arik Parnass about how teams work on the power play. Today’s lesson? Regrouping in the neutral zone. [NHL Special Teams]
- Braden Holtby is eyeing a spot in net for Team Canada at this fall’s World Cup. [NHL.com]
- Winners, losers, and takeaways from a less-than-thrilling trade deadline. [NHL Chalk Talk, Friends in Cold Places, Sports on Earth]
- Congrats to Alex Ovechkin, who is the NHL’s second star of the month for February (and we just won’t talk about who was the third star). [Caps, Rink, NHL.com, WaPo, CSNMA,
Stars and Sticks, RMNB] - Not to be outdone, congrats to Riley Barber for earning Rookie of the Month honors after an eight-goal, 18-point February. [AHL, Stucc]
- Looks like it’s the end of the road (for now, at least) for Scott Gomez as a Hershey Bear, as player and team have mutually agreed to end the PTO. [Stucc, Puck Daddy]
- That was just one of a handful of goodbyes for the Bears this week, as the trade deadline scattered some familiar faces and brought in new teammates. [NoVa Caps]
- Washington, DC: where hockey and politics collide, in briefing rooms and on the ice. [USA Hockey, Heard on the Hill]
- Might the Verizon Center be getting a new name in the next few years? [Washington Business Journal]
- Finally, happy 54th birthday to Peter Andresson.