Tuesday Roundup: Any Excuse To Use An Umlaut

Caps Quick Hits

As I told you the other day, Nicklas Bäckström is kicking ass and taking initials over in Sweden (he's so slick he doesn't even take full names). Now Tarik tells you the same and comments on the line juggling (which I noted that he noted yesterday) and an improved power play. The WTimes discusses the Klepis/Beech line swap as well.

Thread of the Day:

• Klepis Movin' On Up

Elsewhere 'Round the Rinks:

• So last week I said that I had "a couple of exciting ideas that I've been working on putting together (and one great idea that probably won't come to fruition - but I'll throw it out there at a later date in case someone wants to pick it up and run with it)." One of the exciting ideas is now Southeast Shootout. And the great idea that I'm not pursuing right now? It's another rivalry site, but a player rivalry site: The Battle of Crosbechkin. It would be awesome - just covering AO and Sid the Kid, talking trash back and forth. I can even envision a banner that has "Crosb" in Pens font, "echkin" in Caps font and then "87" underneath with a Caps 8 and Pens 7. It would be dope. Just imagine if someone had blogged Magic vs. Bird throughout their careers. Yeah. Like that.
• Joel Kwiatkowski scored a goal (in the NHL) last night and Mathieu Biron is leading the AHL in assists. Undoubtedly, Jason Doig is leading a Safeway somewhere in groceries bagged.
• When Alexandre Picard was called up from Syracuse to Columbus, he probably had an idea that he'd be spending some time at the end of the bench. But being on the receiving end of a viscious Christian Ehrhoff hipcheck is probably not what he had in mind (I'll post the video once I find it).

Daily Awards

• Hart: Ilya Kovalchuk (3G, A, 7 SOG)
  
• Ross: Slava Kozlov, Ilya Kovalchuk, Petr Sykora (4 points each)
  
• Norris: J.M. Liles (G, A)
  
• Vezina: Marty Turco (W, 33 saves on 34 shots against)
  
• Richard: Ilya Kovalchuk (3G)
  
• Calder: Paul Stastny (G, 2A, +2, 3 SOG, 2 hits, 2 takeaways, 1 blocked shot)
  
• Aiken: Dan Cloutier (L, 6 goals allowed on 32 shots against in 40:41 of action)