Your savory breakfast links:

• Notes and assorted whatnot from yesterday's day at Kettler:
  • In general. [CI (Carrera), CI (Carrera), 106.7 The Fan (Kerstein), bridgetds (pics)]
  • On Mike Green's presumed return to the lineup. [CSN Washington (O'Halloran)]
  • John Erskine is digging life as a regular. [CSN Washington (Raby]
  • Chatting with Jason Arnott. [Caps365 (video)]
  • On Mike Knuble's contract extension. [Capitals, CW (Whyno), CI (Carrera), DCEx (McNally), Box Seats, KOL, THW]
• Memories of the last time these two teams met in the post-season. [D.C. Sports Bog (and for memories from even further back, a FanPost)]
• How the Caps have grown up since then. [WashTimes (Whyno)]
• This year's version promises to be one of the more interesting first-round match-ups. [Puck Daddy]
• What a year for Bruce Boudreau. [WaPo (El-Bashir)]
• Is any one player in this series more important to his team's success than Henrik Lundqvist? [Peerless, Insider²]
• Marian Gaborik is pretty important, too. [NYPost]
• But wait! There are more keys to the series than just those guys. [ESPN (Hume), SB Nation DC, CRtC, OFB, Daily News (Spector), Skate Skate SHOOT (video)]
• The Rangers are short on playoff experience. [NYT]
• Arnott used to stereotype Russian players, but no longer does. Guess who changed his mind (hint: not Alexander Semin). [D.C. Sports Bog]
• Speaking of Arnott... what a pick-up. [Vancouver Sun]
• Lots of words here, but I just see Brooks Laich telling Joe Corvo to shut it. [NHL.com]
• Here you go, geeks - cumulative score tied Corsi for all eight playoff series (and by "you" I mean "we"). [Objective NHL, with more Corsi-related goodness in this FanPost]
• If you're one to play the ponies, here are the 16 playoff teams' odds to win it all. [SB Nation]
• More predictions:
  • Caps in five. [Montreal Gazette]
  • Caps in six. [THN, PHT (here because "Caps in 5.67" makes no sense), Examiner (Hoffman), BtN]
  • Caps will win the Cup. [NHL.com (Masisak)]
  • Rangers will win the Cup. [NHL.com (Lozo)]
• Kudos to George McPhee (and, by extension, his staff) for being named NHL.com's GM of the Year. [NHL.com (Compton)]
• Things sure were tight atop the East. [Daly OT]
• Ted Leonsis did Elliot in the Morning yesterday. [YouTube]
• Hockey's back in B'more. [Frankovic]
• Diving deeper on winning four out of seven. [FanPost]
• Matt Hendricks' perserverence has paid off (literally and figuratively). Boffo feature on the Caps' Masterton nominee. [Capitals]
• The key to the Caps' success? Country music. Awful, awful country music. [Homer McFanboy]
• Alex Ovechkin shoots pucks off a roof. (We pretty much did this in college, except it was golf balls and a slingshot... and much dumber.) [D.C. Sports Bog, Capitals Outsider]
• AO with The People's Reporter. [TheScore (video)]
• John Carlson finishing in the top-five for the Calder wouldn't surprise anyone, but might one of his teammates also be a top-five finisher for a major award? [SI (Farber)]
• Some scintillating season superlatives. [KOL, KOL, KOL, KOL]
• Operation Poncho lives. [FanPost]
• A firsthand account of the SRO experience at Verizon Center. [RtR]
• No European vacation for the Caps next fall, but they're hopeful that the opportunity might present itself further on down the road. [Dump 'n Chase]
• Finally, happy 56th birthday to Antero Lehtonen, happy 58th birthday to Mike Bloom and happy 61st to Bob Girard.