Your savory breakfast links:
- Recaps of Nicklas Backstrom‘s triumph over Tampa from us (QuickCap, Recap), Vogs, Monumental video (Trotz, Backstrom, Holtby, Brouwer, Orpik), NHL.com, AP, WaPo (gamer, blog), CSNW, Peerless, Frankovic, DSP (plus three stars), BrooksLaichyear (with the fancystats), Stars and Sticks, RMNB and Raw Charge, Lightning Media, TBO.com.
- Hat trick? Whatever. [RMNB]
- “He’s just such a complete player.” [CSNW]
- One. Two. It’s Raining Hats, hallelujah. [Capitals Voice]
- So where do all those hats go, anyway? [SBNation, Caps Outsider]
- Nicky’s working blue, these days. [@Chris_Gordon]
- “Previously I had trouble creating chances at all, but it was as I said such a night when it felt like everything went in.” [Aftonbladet (in Svensk)]
- From Elias: Nicklas Backstrom recorded the first regular-season hat trick of his NHL career by scoring three goals (the first three goals of the game, in fact) in the Capitals’ 4-2 win over the Lightning. (Backstrom does have one playoff hat trick, against Montreal in 2010.) Backstrom had never scored three goals in a regular-season game before his natural hat trick on Saturday, but he’s registered three or more assists in a game 27 times. Only two other players in NHL history had 27 or more games with three or more assists at the time they notched their first regular-season three-goal game: Adam Oates (33) and Al MacInnis (29).
- News and notes from yesterday’s pregame skate:
- In general. [Dump ‘n Chase, Monumental video (Two-Man Advantage, Trotz, Rinkside Update/Laich)]
- It’s official – Jason Chimera out, Andre Burakovsky in. [WaPo]
- Whatever a team can do to prevent their players from contracting mumps, the Caps are doing. [WaPo]
- When you wish upon a hockey team – amazing things can happen. Just ask Lauren Santora:
- “Lauren’s condition is incurable. Today was just one day in her life. But it was a good one.” [RMNB, with some great photos]
- Gifts that don’t require wrapping – John Walton’s goal call and Tom Wilson‘s snow shower.
- ‘Twas the Brooks Orpik-a-stik night. [Caps Outsider]
- Hmm. The Bolts were without the services of Ondrej Palat, on account of an unspecified lower-body injury he incurred in the previous game with the Caps. [TBO.com]
- Down in Hershey, the Bears dropped the gloves and dropped the Binghamton Senators 5-2. [Patriot-News]
- Madison Bowey scored a goal for Canada in the selection camp scrimmage vs. the Canadian university select team. [Buzzing the Net]
- Finally, happy 47th birthday to Bill Ranford and happy 52nd to Peter Sundstrom.