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Wednesday Caps Clips: Round 1, Game 1 Game Day

Daily Washington Capitals news and notes: And so it begins... previews, predictions, updates and more as the Caps and Isles get ready to open their series.

By Becca H
Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

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:
  • 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.
  • 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.