Your savory breakfast links:
- Recaps and other assorted musings on yesterday’s incredible last-second victory from us, Monumental video (Trotz, Ovechkin, Holtby, Ward, Backstrom, Carlson, AV, Rangers Room), Vogs, NHL.com, WaPo (gamer, blog, photos), WashTimes, CSNW, Puck Daddy (and again), Inside Hockey, THN, Dobber, Eye on Hockey, theScore, Sporting News, Peerless, Frankovic, RMNB (gamer, game blogs), DSP, and BSB, NJ.com, NY Post, Newsday, NYDN, Ranger Rants, YES Network.
- Oh, Alex (lazer-beam power play goal edition). [NJ.com, FTW, THN]
- “The puck was in and out of the net before you could say ‘enigmatic.'” [Bleacher Report]
- Oh Alex (chirping King Henrik edition). [RMNB, NJ.com]
- Oh Alex (lofty – maybe trolling – comparison edition). [NY Post]
- Oh, Alex (everything else edition). [CBC.ca, Lohud, NatPo]
- In which the Big Cheese scores the usual – a buzzer-beating game clincher. NBD. [DC Sports Bog, SB Nation, NJ.com, Eye on Hockey, RMNB]
- … but let’s take (a very few) moments to look at Nick Backstrom‘s, er, interaction with Dan Boyle just before Ward scored. [Blue Seat Blog, BSB, CSNW]
- More, from Elias: Joel Ward scored with two seconds remaining in the third period to give the Capitals a 2-1 victory over the Rangers. Only two other players in NHL history scored a go-ahead goal that late in the third period of a playoff game: Bob Pulford of the Maple Leafs against the Red Wings in 1964, and Jussi Jokinen of the Hurricanes against the Devils in 2009. Both of those players did so at home; Ward scored his game-winner at Madison Square Garden.
- “The stick just kind of stabbed me in the throat,” Braden Holtby said nonchalantly. “It happens.” [WaPo]
- More, from Elias: Braden Holtby made 31 saves in the Capitals’ victory. Holtby has allowed no more than one goal in 11 of his 14 career playoff wins, including each of his last eight dating back to Game 6 of Washington’s series versus the Rangers in 2012.
- Best and worst of Game One… [DC Sports Bog]
- … but really, Twitter was the best. The. Best. [Ibid.]
- “Whatever the Caps have been missing all these years in the playoffs, they’re close to finding it.” [WaPo]
- Notes from the Rangers‘ end of the ice:
- You snooze, you lose. [NY Post]
- Don’t fret, yet. [Rangers Review (audio)]
- Shake it off, shake it off. [PHT]
- Kevin Klein at least had a strong return from injury. [PHT]
- The incredible shrinking Rick Nash . [NYDN]
- The Rangers’ task before Game Two – Forget Game One (probably sage advice for the Caps too). [NYT]
- A few notes from pregame:
- Nicklas Backstrom is the Teller to Alex Ovechkin ‘s Penn, and he won’t be a secret weapon much longer if he keeps leading the Caps to playoff wins. [NatPo]
- It’s all about the faceoffs. [WaPo]
- Holtby/Lundqvist – a goalie matchup so handsome even their teammates can’t wait to watch. [WaPo]
- Speaking of Holtby, will his massive workload keep him from going far in the playoffs? [ESPN $]
- “Game 7 in Washington was really good experience and I learned a lot from that. You see it on TV and the guys battling and how much everything matters up there. Just experiencing that life in person was amazing.” Philipp Grubauer has a new glint in his eye after his visit to The Show. [Patriot-News]
- Congrats are in order for former Cap Matt Hendricks, who will wear the C for Team USA at the 2015 IIHF World Championship. Go get ’em, ya wagon. [theScore]
- Happy 45th birthday to Reggie Savage and happy 54th to Clint Malarchuk.
- Finally:
Tomorrow’s D1: “:01.3.” pic.twitter.com/T1HTYjr2ce
— Alex Prewitt (@alex_prewitt) May 1, 2015