Monday Caps Clips

Your savory breakfast links:

• Today's must-read is older than Caps prospect Eric Mestery. [NYT]
• The Round 1 schedule has been announced... see you Wednesday. [Capitals.com]
• Why even play the series - The Maven has the Rangers in six. [MSG]
• Nicklas Backstrom is good. [WaTi]
• A sneak peak at the Rangers' game plan: keep the puck in the Caps' end of the ice. This is why Torts has an Adams. [Newsday]
• Caps are getting ready, too, and know this isn't the same Rangers team they played four times this year. This is why Bruce has an Adams. [WaPo]
• From Mike Milbury's mouth to G-d's ears. [Flyer Frequent]
• Rinkotology. It's as cool as it sounds. [PensBlog]
• Sergei Fedorov on Sergei Fedorov. [WaPo]
• Phil Esposito is handing out awards today and the usual suspects from your Washington Capitals are nominees. [XM204]
• Pierre LeBrun (back)handed out some awards as well. [ESPN]
• "What if?" is perhaps the second-greatest question in sports (trailing only "Who's better?"), and here's a great look at what might have been had Alex Ovechkin played in 82 games this season. [PensBurgh]
• Speaking of AO, a few more endorsements for his Hart candidacy from Scott Morrison, Eric Duhatschek and The Buffalo News, which buries their pick in an article on why Mike Green should win the Norris.
  
• Jerry Bruckheimer digs AO, but he keeps putting Nicolas Cage in movies, so "grain of salt" and all. [Time]
• All that's left for AO to accomplish is winning the Cup? Really? [NBC]
• Counting down the Top 10 Caps games of 2008-09. [CK and CK]
  
• Alexandre Giroux hit the 60-goal mark in the Bears' season finale and (the former Ranger) picked up some more hardware. [AHL.com]
• Joe Finley's pro career is off to an encouraging start (even if he got the worst of his first pro fight). [OFB]
• Caps' prospect Zach Miskovic is an All-American. [Watertown Daily Times]
• Olie Kolsig, err, Kolzig is still good people. [KNDO]
• Finally, Happy 35th Birthday to former Cap Sergei Gonchar. How the hell is he 35 already?