Your savory breakfast links:
- Previews of Game 5 at MSG from Vogs, NHL.com and AP, and be sure to check out our SB Nation partners over at Blueshirt Banter for the other side of tonight’s matchup.
- Clinchin’ ain’t easy. [WaPo]
- Early healthy scratches behind him, Andre Burakovsky has arrived and is making a splash. [WashTimes, CSNW, WNST, Talk the Red]
- He’s just one half of a spectacular rookie duo that has stepped up so far this postseason. [Ted’s Take, THN]
- Burakovsky’s rapid rise to playoff stardom may have surprised a lot of people, but it’s no shock to his former team up in Erie (or to his pal Markus Halsti of the DC United). [Durham Region, WaPo]
- The Caps are playing playoff-style hockey, and it’s working. [DSP, DC Sun Times]
- Scheduling alert: Click through for information on a game we hope doesn’t happen. [Caps]
- A few leftovers from Game 4. [Dump ‘n Chase, DSP]
- Good win? Yes. Great pictures from Clyde? Yes, times a million. Seriously. [Rink]
- Another night, another close game, another one-goal win for the Caps. [WaPo, BSB (FanPost)]
- That margin of error was in jeopardy when Carl Hagelin drew a penalty shot… but Braden Holtby had something to say about that. [NHL.com, THN, CSNW]
- Tim Gleason threw down with Tanner Glass, and his teammates (and coach) appreciated it. [CSNW, Hockeyfights.com]
- The Caps were quite chatty after the game. [CSNW]
- They also spent some quality time with their fellow DC athletes when members of the Nationals dropped by the locker room after the game. [WaPo]
- Three-one leads haven’t always worked out so well for the Caps; now they’re looking to learn from the past and take care of business. [NHL.com, National Post, Pressbox DC, Peerless]
- Which is probably why we get a headline like “The Capitals lead the Rangers 3-1… so how worried should Washington fans be?” [WaPo]
- Or is it perhaps, maybe, possibly… time to believe? [THW]
- Whatever the outcome of this series, the team’s performance this season has been a revival of sorts. [StarsandSticks]
- Checking in with the Caps:
- In general. [Monumental video (Trotz, Burakovsky, Laich, Carlson, ), Caps OT (Burakovsky, Carlson, Laich)]
- They may be on the precipice of moving on to the Eastern Conference Final, but the Caps aren’t celebrating – because there’s still work to be done. [WaPo (and again)]
- No Alex Ovechkin… know win? [WaPo]
- The awarding of the “Honest Abe” beard and top hat has helped emphasize the team’s camaraderie, and celebrate the little things. [WaPo, WashTimes]
- And some thoughts from the New Yorkers:
- In general. [Ranger Rants, SNY Rangers]
- That whole lack-of-scoring problem is, well, still a problem. [NHL.com, NY Post, The Score, NY Daily News (and again)]
- It’s on the players to get out of this… [CBS NY, NHL.com, Full Tilt Rangers]
- …unless it’s on the coach… [BSB]
- …who should make the bold decision to demote Martin St. Louis. [NY Post]
- Whatever the problem, Rangers’ captain Ryan McDonagh is hoping the hometown crowd can help them solve it. [NHL.com]
- They’re not done yet, though, so sayeth Pierre McGuire. [NY Post]
- Is Henrik Lundqvist holding the Rangers back? [Blue Line Station]
- After over two decades of reliving the glory of 1994, Ranger fans have found a new set of heroes to cling to (although some are still looking for those ’94 guys). [WSJ]
- But they’re not willing to pay as much to see them potentially play their last game of the season, apparently. [Bloomberg]
- The downside of playing deep into the spring? Ice tends to not do so well in warm weather. Huh. [NY Times]
- Superstars can shine in the playoffs, but perhaps the emphasis on individual performances in the postseason needs to be toned down a bit. [CBS Sports]
- Some smart women take the time to break down some of the most frequent questions about sexism and the NHL – because being a fan should be enjoyable for all of us. Read. Learn. Grow. [PPP]
- Chocolatetown checkup:
- With their overtime win in Game 1, Hartford stole home-ice advantage away from the Bears… except maybe not, because when they head home, they won’t be heading home. [Patriot-News]
- Stan Galiev missed Game 1 with an injury, and remains questionable for Game 2 (and beyond). [Patriot-News]
- It would be good if he came back sooner rather than later, because the Bears need to figure out a way to solve Hartford goalie Yann Danis. [Patriot-News]
- Harry Pott-, er, Evgeny Kuznetsov talks about all manner of things. [RMNB]
- Jimmy Fallon took aim at a few of the Caps in his latest batch of superlatives. Really, Carl?? [Monumental Network, The Score, THN]
- Some ‘Lumbus locals are casting an envious eye at one Mike Green. [Union & Blue]
- Beard status update. [Caps Outsider]
- It’s a strange feeling, having both the Caps and the Wizards on a path to success – it’s a new era of DC sports, kids. [WaPo, StarsandSticks]
- That doesn’t mean the boss doesn’t lead the pack in worrying over those teams. [WaPo]
- There’s been lots of DC sports stuff to chatter about on social media – so which group is a bigger user of smartphones, Wizards or Caps fans? [DC Inno]