Your savory breakfast links:
● Previews of tonight’s Game 6 with the Rangers from Vogs, NHL.com, WaPo, WashTimes, CSNW, Toronto Sun, Peerless, Puck ‘N Hockey, RMNB and CRtC, and be sure to check out our SB Nation partner Blueshirt Banter for more coverage from the other side of tonight’s match-up and throughout the series.
● Notes and assorted whatnot from yesterday out at Kettler:
○ In general. [Caps365 video (Rinkside Update, Hunter, Laich, Green, Carlson, Hamrlik), NBC4 Washington (video)]
● … And from the Rangers‘ end of the ice. [NHL.com (and again), NYDN]
● Some Game 5-related leftovers:
○ The bend-but-don’t-break penalty kill bent… and finally broke. [DCEx, WaPo, WashTimes, CSNW]
○ Live by the blocked shot, die by the blocked shot. [WashTimes]
○ Alex Ovechkin didn’t register a shot on goal in Game 5. That’s gotta change. [WaPo, DCEx, WashTimes, Sporting News]
○ Combine those last two bullets and you get this. [RMNB]
○ Joel Ward “let the team down” in Game 5; some thoughts on that. [106.7 The Fan, BS, NHL.com, RtR, TOBT]
○ Game 5 was the latest in a history cruel and unusual punishment for Caps faithful. [WaPo, Examiner]
○ Dear Diary: That sucked. [WaPo]
○ Uh oh. There’s ruing. [KOL]
○ The good, the bad and the coin flips. [Fanspeak]
● Down? Yes. Out? No. [WaPo]
● Brooks Laich “could give a s— over who can toe-drag or sauce-pass, skill is the ability to win.” Well then. (And that’s not even his controversial quote.) [National Post]
● The narratives say this Caps team, unlike its previous incarnations, “knows how to win”… but maybe shouldn’t. [Grantland (with a related worthwhile read that we’d somehow missed yesterday)]
● The Caps need to be better in the dot. [Caps 101]
● On the goalie battle. [THW]
● Is this a championship-caliber team? [Nosebleeds]
● Alexander Semin speaks! [RMNB]
● Thanks again to LaVar and Chad for putting me on the radio yesterday. Give ‘er a listen. [106.7 The Fan (audio)]
● Beard… donate! (It might be your last chance… this round.)
● Mazel Tov, Bourque family. [RtR]
● Finally, happy 62nd birthday to Steve Self and happy 46th to Mark Tinordi.
