Your savory breakfast links:
- We’ve got all of your series preview needs, so get up to speed with anything you may have missed yesterday:
- Breaking down the matchups at forward and on defense.
- Getting to know Josh Bailey (here) and Johnny Boychuk (here).
- Looking at the recent move to split up Alex Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom.
- Relive 40 years of Caps’ history (without all of those messy heartbreaking moments).
- Yeah, but can you-know-who win in the playoffs? [D.C. Sports Bog]
- Take a few minutes of your time and read this great piece on what Barry Trotz has brought to DC over the last year. Besides beer. [WaPo]
- Previews of tonight’s Game 1 action between the Caps and Isles from Vogs, NHL.com, and Stars and Sticks, and be sure to check out the fabulous folks…er, I mean our mortal enemies over at Lighthouse Hockey for the other side of tonight’s matchup.
- Looks like Islanders‘ defenseman Travis Hamonic will be out for tonight’s game, with no timetable for his return. [NHL.com, Islanders Point Blank, Newsday]
- News and notes from yesterday’s final pre-playoff practice:
- In general. [Monumental video (Trotz, Wilson, Johansson, Carlson, Rinkside Update/Backstrom]
- After taking a slapshot to the head in Detroit, Tom Wilson is on the mend – and speaking some wise words about exercising caution with head injuries. [WaPo, CSNW (and again), WashTimes, Today’s Slapshot]
- Evgeny Kuznetsov is set to make his NHL playoff debut, and his confidence is high heading into the postseason. [WaPo]
- Searching for the X-factor. [Pressbox DC, THW]
- The Isles come equipped with plenty of speed, but the Caps are hoping their heavy game can neutralize it. [WaPo]
- The Caps have some amazingly awesome new shirts and hats for the playoffs, incorporating some symbols from the season like Abe Lincoln… [WaPo, CSNW]
- …although the timing could maybe have been a bit better. [SI.com]
- Bask in the glory of series previews from across the land. [Dump ‘n Chase, CRL playoff special (video), NHL.com (Masisak), NHL.com (Rosen), WaPo, Peerless, DSP, CBS DC, CBS Sports, Slam]
- Breaking down the matchups. [CSNW, LH Hockey, RMNB (and again and again)]
- Keys to the win. [THW]
- These are two heavy-hitting teams. [Stars and Sticks]
- Looking at the top weaknesses for every Eastern Conference playoff team. [ESPN ($)]
- Doc Emrick and Pierre McGuire lay out their previews for the first round, amazingly without using the words “drive!” or “back in juniors”. [NHL.com]
- So apparently this guy who plays goal for the Islanders, Jaroslav Halak, actually has some history against the Caps in the playoffs. I have no recollection of such an event. [Newsday, Radio-Canada]
- Braden Holtby has overcome ups and downs to become the Caps’ rock between the pipes. [WaPo, WashTimes, NHL.com]
- That said, history has not been kind to goalies who carried a heavy workload ahead of the playoffs. [Bleacher Report]
- John Tavares is motivated by ghosts of Islanders past, just as the rest of us are searching for a positron collider. [NY Post]
- Speed of lightning, roar of thunder, fighting all who rob or plunder…Underdog!! [Newsday]
- The Capitals‘ mission: Stop. John. Tavares. [Starsand Sticks, RMNB]
- The Islanders’ mission: Stop. Alex. Ovechkin (and the power play). [WSJ, Newsday]
- They may be able to stop the power play, but the Caps can be almost as lethal at four-on-four and-… my god, that’s Tom Wilson’s music! [RMNB]
- With the Caps and Isles set to renew playoff acquaintances, it calls to mind what happened the last time they met – 22 years ago. [WaPo (and again)]
- How to set up the Caps’ captain for success. [Stars and Sticks]
- Alex Ovechkin knows that the playoffs can make or break a reputation (no matter how unfairly)… [The National]
- …and he’s ready to cement his reputation as a Stanley Cup winner. [WashTimes, PHT]
- 15 reasons why he – and the rest of his team – can do just that. [WTOP]
- Another reason why they could is that this year, for the first time in a long time, it’s really anyone’s Cup to win. [Yahoo!]
- A (hopefully lengthy) playoff run lies ahead, but take a quick look back at the 2013-14 regular season. [CSNW]
- Got your crystal ball ready? Good, so do these people:
- Caps! Caps! Isles. Caps! (And read on for additional predictions.) [SI.com]
- Caps through the first round and perhaps beyond. [The Score]
- Caps in 7. [NJ.com]
- Isles in 7. [NESN]
- Caps in 7. [Empire Writes Back]
- Predictions, and a prescription for warm hugs for the LHH crew. [LH Hockey]
- Caps’ legend Peter Bondra weighs in with his own playoff predictions and talks about Alex Ovechkin passing him in the record books. [Webnoviny (via Google Translate)]
- The Caps will have home ice in the first round, thanks to the Columbus Blue Jackets, who single-handedly altered the playoff picture in the season’s final weeks. [THW]
- 16 teams made the cut; now it’s time to rank them. You know, aside from how they’re… um, already ranked. [The Score, Reuters, The Guardian]
- Checking out the Bears as they make their own push to the playoffs:
- Stanislav Galiev is still glowing after making his NHL debut and then following it up with his first NHL goal. [Patriot-News]
- Meanwhile, 2014 draftee Jakub Vrana is set to make his AHL debut… [Patriot-News]
- …as is Travis Boyd, thanks to a suspension to Kris Newbury. [Patriot-News]
- Edgar Allan Peerless waxes poetic about the task at hand for the Caps. [Peerless]
- Didn’t make it to the DC Hockey Analytics Conference this past weekend? Never fear, you can catch all the highlights (including our own J.P. dropping some knowledge). [AP Hockey]
- Washington, DC is a sports town filled with sports teams who each break our hearts in their own special way (and usually one at a time). Hooray for playoffs!! [WaPo (and again)]
- Hang in there, guys – getting kicked about the ear, nose and throat may eventually pay off. So sayeth Boz. [WaPo]
- Are you adequately prepared to rock the red, Caps fans? [Caps]
- Fun fact: the best way to pay tribute to someone is to name a french fry-gravy-cheese curd concoction of deliciousness after them. [WaPo, CBS DC]
- Eric Fehr continues to make the rounds with his anti-bullying book tour. [SI Kids]
- Finally, happy 57th birthday to Keith Acton, and happy 38th to Brian Pothier.