Your savory breakfast links:
- Recaps and other assorted musings on last night’s loss from us, Monumental video (Caps: Trotz, Holtby, Ovechkin, Williams, Johansson; Pens: Sullivan, locker room), NHL.com, AP, WaPo, CSNMA, StarsandSticks, NoVa Caps, RMNB, Peerless, Frankovic, Pensblog, Post-Gazette, and Pensburgh.
- News and notes from yesterday’s pregame skate:
- In general. [Dump ‘n Chase, Monumental video (Trotz, Holtby, Williams, Rinkside Update/Niskanen)]
- Practice brought with it good news: after missing three games with an upper-body injury, Nicklas Backstrom was back in the lineup. [WaPo, WashTimes, CSNMA]
- And from the visitor’s side of the rink, former Cap Eric Fehr was finally ready to face his old team. [WashTimes]
- It’s fine, Penguins, you take that “Stanley Cup favorite” crown away… and may the weight of it knock you on your collective rear ends. [WaPo]
- Using lineup decisions to try and measure just how much of an impact coaching has on a team’s success. [TSN (Yost)]
- Braden Holtby may not be the front-runner for the Vezina trophy anymore. [TSN]
- He’s also not going to break Martin Brodeur’s record this season, as the plan now is for him and Philipp Grubauer to split the remaining two games. Ah, well. [CSNMA]
- Daniel Winnik is one of an increasingly small group of stubborn NHLers who refuses to go without a visor. [Sun]
- Ten potential sleepers to help you when filling out your playoff pool fantasy roster. [Puck Daddy]
- While the playoff picture is just about set, those fans on the outside looking in are searching for a bandwagon on which to hop. [All About the Jersey]
- The Caps have a number of prospects who are readying themselves for postseason action of some kind or another. [THW]
- Hop in the Wayback Machine and relive the first playoff series win in franchise history. [StarsandSticks]