Saturday Caps Clips: Evening Up the Score

Your savory breakfast links:

• Recaps and other assorted musings on last night's comeback victory from us, Vogs, Monumental video (Trotz, Capuano, Grubauer, Niskanen, Wilson, Chimera, Backstrom, highlights), NHL.com, WaPo (gamer, blog (and again), Best/Worst), WashTimes, CSNW, Frankovic, AP, ESPN (gamer, blog), Puck Daddy, PHT, WSJ, The Score, SI, Talk the Red, DSP, RMNB, Stars and Sticks, and from across the Queensboro Bridge, the Isles, Newsday, Isles Point Blank, NY Post, and Lighthouse Hockey.
  • Down 1-0 in the series and 2-0 in the game, the Caps could have panicked - but they didn't. [DC Sports Bog, CSNW]
  • It's that resiliency that could make them an even tougher opponent for the Islanders. [Bleacher Report]
  • Per Islanders coach Jack Capuano, the Islanders didn't deserve to win... and may see some changes to the lineup sooner rather than later. [NY Post, PHT]
  • Despite jumping out to two separate two-goal leads, the Islanders sat back and paid the price. [NHL.com]
  • Congrats to Philipp Grubauer, who got the late nod in net and earned his first NHL playoff win. [NHL.com, Yahoo!, WashTimes (and again)]
    • Grubauer became the first German-born goaltender to start an NHL playoff game, and the third rookie goalie in franchise history to win his playoff debut in regulation.
  • Sure, blame the sticks. [Newsday]
  • The winning locker room was filled with fist bumps, bleeped out curse words, a stovepipe hat and beard, and a way to count down those 16 crucial wins. 15 to go... [Monumental video, Caps Outsider]
  • From Elias: Jason Chimera scored the game-winning goal for the Capitals in their come-from-behind victory over the Islanders on Friday. Chimera has scored only nine playoff goals for Washington, which ties him with six other players for 21st place on the franchise's all-time list. But five of Chimera's playoff goals have been game-winners, which puts him in a four-way tie for second-most in Capitals postseason history, one behind the club record holder in that category, Peter Bondra, with six GWGs. Chimera has scored the same number of game-winning goals in the playoffs for Washington as Alex Ovechkin, the team's all-time leader in postseason goals (32).
• Breaking down a trio of potential x-factors for the Caps in their opening round matchup. [Along the Boards]
• The Islanders may have let Game 2 slip through their fingers, but all they care about is that they're returning to Nassau County tied up at one in the series. [Newsday]
• News and notes from yesterday's pregame skate:
  • In general. [Monumental video (Trotz, Grubauer, Peters, Johansson, Wilson, Rinkside Update/Carlson), Dump 'n Chase, DSP, CSNW, LHH]
  • Word started to circulate early on that Braden Holtby was "under the weather", causing the Caps to recall Philipp Grubauer - but Holtby was set to play... [Caps, WaPo (and again), Isles Point Blank, CSNW (and again and again)]
  • ...until he wasn't. And just like that, Grubauer was thrust into the spotlight - and the net - for his first NHL playoff game. [NHL.com, Puck Daddy, PHT, The Score, Today's Slapshot, Newsday, WashTimes, CSNW, RMNB]
  • Also making his (2015) postseason debut? Tom Wilson, who was cleared to return to the lineup after missing the end of the regular season and Game 1. [The Score]
  • The Isles' penalty kill was one of the League's worst over the course of the season, but a more aggressive approach in Game 1 required the Caps' top-ranked power play to adjust. [WaPo]
• Isles' netminder Jaroslav Halak is certainly cognizant of his past with the Caps, but it's not part of his focus in the present. Lucky. [ESPN]
• The Islanders have plenty of youth and inexperience, but neither one of those factors is fazing them. [WaPo]
• A few leftovers from GM Brian MacLellan's end-of-regular-season chat. [WaPo]
• Let's get some closure on Game 1:
  • A rundown of what worked and the many, many things that didn't for the Caps in the series opener... [Rink]
  • ...including the power play. [RMNB]
  • The Caps' lackluster loss was enough to give some fans flashbacks to playoff disappointments of the past. [Too Many Men on the Site]
  • It also was filled with some old bad habits for the home team. [WaPo (Raby)]
• The Hershey Bears have officially clinched the East Division title, their first since the Calder Cup-winning 2009-10 campaign. [Patriot-News, Stars and Sticks]
• People, Gary Bettman has no interest in your ideas to make all regular-season games be worth the same number of points. [Puck Daddy,
• Caps' prospect Riley Barber is officially part of the organization, as the Caps signed the Miami University senior to a three-year entry-level contract. [Caps, SBN College Hockey, WaPo, CSNW, Patriot-News, Stars and Sticks, RMNB]
• Counting down the top ten centers in Caps' history. [Stars and Sticks]
• More on Charles Barkley and his love for the Great 8. [WaPo]
• Finally, happy 38th birthday to Sebastian Charpentier, and happy 37th to Boyd Kane.