Your savory breakfast links:
- Recaps and other assorted musings on last night’s win from us, Vogs, Monumental video (Trotz, Holtby, Backstrom, Orpik, Maurice, Jets locker room, highlights), NHL.com, AP, WaPo (gamer, blog), CSNW, Frankovic, Peerless, DSP, RMNB, Stars and Sticks (recap, three stars), and from the True North, the Winnipeg Free Press (and again), Winnipeg Sun (and again) and Arctic Ice Hockey.
- This is hardly news, but Nicklas Backstrom is seriously good, and showed that off with yet another multipoint effort that catapulted him to the NHL leaderboard. [CSNW]
- And yet he’s the NHL’s most underrated star. By a longshot. [FanRag Sports]
- From Elias: The Capitals netted three power play goals, including two by Nicklas Backstrom in the span of three minutes in the second period, in their 5-1 victory over the Jets. Coming into Thursday, only two players had scored multiple power play goals within a three-minute span this season and both play for the Blues – Joakim Lindstrom had two power play goals 58 seconds apart on November 11 against the Sabres, and David Backes scored two within 66 seconds on January 6 at Arizona.
- More from Elias: Backstrom also recorded an assist on the Capitals’ first power play goal of the night scored by John Carlson. It was Backstrom’s first game with three power play points this season and the eighth such game of his eight-season NHL career. That’s the most such games by any player since Backstrom made his NHL debut in October 2007. Evgeni Malkin is second with six such games over the last eight seasons.
- John Carlson got the Caps on the board first last night with his slapshot from the point. Or did he? [RMNB]
- If Dustin Byfuglien wanted to be more subtle in his spy game, he probably shouldn’t… well, be the size of Dustin Byfuglien. [Puck Daddy, PDL]
- Invasion of the bobbleheads! [Caps Outsider]
- This is hardly news, but Nicklas Backstrom is seriously good, and showed that off with yet another multipoint effort that catapulted him to the NHL leaderboard. [CSNW]
- After struggling with the lead early on in the season, the Caps seem to be developing something of a killer instinct… [Rink]
- …even if they maybe flirt with danger a bit too much. [THW]
- The race for the Art Ross Trophy is on, and the Caps have two of the six horses. [The Score]
- Alex Ovechkin is a stud, Eric Staal is a dud… we knew that already, but in the fantasy hockey world, that might be news. [Puck Daddy]
- Breaking down the buyers and sellers in the Metropolitan Division. [CBSSports]
- It’s not a guarantee that former Cap Jaromir Jagr will be on the move by the deadline, but if he is… could a former Cap become a current one? [The Score]
- He might be able to slot in on the first line next to Ovechkin and Backstrom, but if he doesn’t, the Caps seem happy to continue rotating players in that spot. For now. [CSNW]
- News and notes from yesterday’s pregame skate:
- In general. [Dump ‘n Chase, Monumental video (Trotz, Holtby, Niskanen, Rinkside update/Fehr)]
- The Caps were hoping that their return from a season-long four-game road trip wouldn’t lead to a letdown in front of the hometown crowd. [WaPo]
- It’s been a season of growth for Evgeny Kuznetsov, and lately the team and coach have been showing more trust in him. [WaPo]
- He’s done it many times before, but Ovechkin’s power-play goal on Tuesday night helped to spark his team to an eventual 3-1 win over Pittsburgh. [NHL.com]
- That win was the third one in three games for the Caps over the Penguins, a season series that they’ve dominated so far (and that comes to a close next Wednesday). [CSNW]
- Take a look at the week ahead for the Caps. [Rock the Red]
- Don’t look now, but most of the former South”least” teams are doing pretty well these days. [Too Many Men on the Site]
- Alex Ovechkin: Hart Trophy candidate. [Stars and Sticks]
- Hershey Bears’ coach Troy Mann has put the pedal to the metal with his charges, and it’s a big reason why the team has been surging since Christmas. [Patriot-News]
- Nice behind-the-scenes look at the recent fathers’ trip from Scott Burnside – and a reminder that a hockey dad is still a hockey dad, even if the kid is in the NHL. [ESPN]
- Rejoice and celebrate, for paper season tickets are returning next season (but only if you want them). [WaPo]
- Caps’ prospect Zach Sanford checks in on a list of the top 100 NHL prospects in the NCAA. [SBN College]
- Finally, happy 67th birthday to Pierre Bouchard, happy 59th to Rick Green, and happy birthday to Brendan Witt, who turns the big 4-0 right along with the Caps.