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Saturday Caps Clips: Round 1, Game 6 Game Day

Daily Washington Capitals news and notes: The Caps look to close out the series, and the Coliseum, in one fell swoop, secondary scoring shows up, and more.

By Becca H
Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Your savory breakfast links:

  • Previews of Game 6 from Vogs, NHL.com, AP, CSNW, and be sure to check out our SB Nation pals over at Lighthouse Hockey for the other side of today's matchup.
    • It's do or die for the Isles, as the Caps look to eliminate an opponent in fewer than seven games. [CSNW, Isles, Newsday]
    • As such, the Caps are expecting a very difficult battle. [WaPo]
    • After taking a hit from Troy Brouwer in Game 5, Islanders' blueliner Calvin de Haan becomes the latest casualty of an increasingly physical series. [NHL.com]
    • Weakened blueline or not, the Caps aren't buying the Islanders as underdogs. [CSNW]
  • Bidding farewell to the old barn:
    • Whether or not the Caps win today, they won't be making the trek out to Nassau Coliseum anymore after this one. [Monumental video, Caps Outsider, Islanders Point Blank]
    • It's a well-worn path, to be sure. [Rink]
    • For those lucky people who attend, they'll have the comforting presence of extra security. Gee, wonder why. [Islanders Point Blank]
    • And apparently the pleasure of sitting next to a plain-clothes cop isn't the hot ticket one would think it is. [Forbes]
    • That is, if you can even find a place to sit... right, Ovi?
  • After a breakout game Thursday night, Evgeny Kuznetsov is the Caps' newest star - and he was well worth the wait. [Caps, THW]
  • Hockey is usually a young man's game, but with whippersnappers like Kuznetsov stepping to the forefront, this postseason has been like one big episode of Rugrats. [Grantland, Pressbox DC]
  • A few more leftovers from Thursday's 5-1 victory for the good guys. [Dump 'n Chase, Talk the Red, Stars and Sticks]
    • What worked (hint: lots) and what didn't (hint: not lots) in Game 5. [Rink]
    • The turning point of the game. [Stars and Sticks]
    • Smiles, hugs, flying gloves, Michael Latta gnawing on a stick... the pictures from this one are truly epic. [Rink]
  • Each team has earned a win in the other team's barn, leading some to believe home ice advantage hasn't been a factor. Spoiler alert: it has been. [Rink]
  • News and notes from the Caps' room:
    • In general. [Monumental video (Trotz, Ovechkin, Holtby, Rinkside Update/Laich)]
    • The Caps hold a 3-2 series lead in part because of their improved defense... [NHL.com]
    • ...and probably in part because of their improved grittiness under new bench boss Barry Trotz. [Toronto Sun]
    • The other night, Nicklas Backstrom and Alex Ovechkin were held off of the scoresheet. Thanks to secondary scoring, it didn't matter. [WaPo]
    • The game plan for next game? Keep it simple, stupid. [CSNW]
    • Tom Wilson didn't just expect a physical backlash from the Islanders after his hit in Game 4 - he welcomed it. [WashTimes]
    • A series of strong mentors and teachers - along with a serious amount of talent - have helped Braden Holtby find peace in the crease. [WaPo]
    • He may be making his playoff debut, but rookie Andre Burakovsky is thriving thanks to increasing confidence... and a touch of naivete. [WaPo]
  • After a bit of a lull, Caps fans are back to blowing the roof off of a rocking Verizon Center; magic, indeed. [RMNB]
  • Updates from the New York state of mind:
    • The Isles' blueline has been decimated by injuries, but as the series nears its end one way or another, it's their offense that has struggled. [CBS NY]
    • If they want to avoid elimination, the Islanders should probably focus more on scoring goals and less on getting revenge. [LHH]
    • For some Islanders fans, this series has taken on a nostalgic quality. [Islanders Point Blank]
    • For others, the frustrating sense of a team and a fanbase that has made headlines for all the wrong reasons. [LHH]
  • The AHL playoffs are underway, and the Hershey Bears took a 1-0 series lead against the Worcester Sharks thanks to some stellar goaltending and timely goals. [Patriot-News, StarsandSticks]
  • Good news! The winner of this series will have the great fortune of facing... the Rangers. Feels like the Caps have played them a time or two thousand. [NHL.com, CSNW, AP, THW]