Friday Caps Clips: Round 1, Game 2 Game Day

Your savory breakfast links:

• Previews of Game 2 from Vogs, NHL.com, AP, and be sure to check out our SB Nation frenemies over at Lighthouse Hockey for the other side of tonight’s matchup.
  • Changes need to be made ahead of tonight’s game; what those will be is anyone’s guess. [CSNW]
  • The Caps might – might – want to think about putting forth a bit more effort in Game 2 than they did in the series opener. [WaPo, Caps Circle, Talk the Red]
  • They should also look into matching the Islanders‘ speed with speed of their own. [Stars and Sticks]
  • If they do, they may find themselves following in the footsteps of other home teams who have dropped Game 1 in the past. [WaPo]
  • But first they will need to shake it off, sh-shake it off. [WashTimes]
  • Enough with the “underdog” crap already. [CBS NY]
• Taking the temperature of the locals:
  • Caps fans – and DC fans in general – have been through a lot over the years. [WashTimes]
  • And now we’re pissed off. [WaPo]
  • But hey, maybe instead of playing the victim or getting angry, we should just stop being so damn fragile and grow a backbone already. [Rink]
• Okay, so the series has already started; doesn’t mean you can’t listen in to a preview of the series from yours truly. [TRH]
• Looking back at Game 1, from the good guys’ side:
  • Awesome pics from a sub-awesome game. [Rink]
  • The Isles were able to stare down the Caps’ top-ranked power play with a suddenly aggressive penalty kill. [CSNW]
• And from those… other guys:
  • Stats stats stats-stats-stats stats. [LH Hockey]
  • The Caps didn’t get Halak’d by any stretch, but that doesn’t mean the former Cap/Cap-killer didn’t have a decent game. [Islanders Point Blank]
  • Ryan Strome is perhaps a little psychic. [Islanders Point Blank]
  • Experience: not required. [Isles, Islanders Point Blank]
  • With Travis Hamonic on the sidelines, the rest of the Isles’ blueline stepped up in Game 1. [Islanders Point Blank]
  • Asking Doc Emrick about calling a Rangers-Islanders series has to be some sort of jinxtastic jinx, right? Please? [NY Post]
• When he got the gig as the Caps’ general manager, Brian MacLellan had a plan – and over the course of the season, he’s put that plan into action. [WaPo]
• News and notes from yesterday out at Kettler:
  • In general. [monumental video (Trotz, Wilson, Beagle, Backstrom, Niskanen, Rinkside Update/Laich)]
  • Despite a rough performance in Game 1, Barry Trotz decided it was better to rest than punish and gave the boys an optional skate yesterday. [WaPo, RMNB]
  • Tom Wilson continues to take positive steps forward in his recovery and could be back as soon as tonight. [WaPo, WashTimes, CSNW]
• The Hershey Bears are going after Gophers as if they were Carl the Groundskeeper. [Patriot-News]
• Charles Barkley does not want Alex Ovechkin to join him in the “uber-talented but championship-less” club. We agree. [CSNW]
• Throwback to former Cap and Hall of Famer Mike Gartner. [Stars and Sticks]
• Owner Ted Leonsis would like the Wizards to follow the path blazed by the Caps… at least as far as making the playoffs goes. Although he probably wants them to win a few series, too. [WaPo]
• Finally, happy 72nd birthday to Dennis Hextall, happy 50th to Kent Paynter – and raise a glass in honor of the late Tommy Williams, who would have been 75 today.