Sunday Caps Clips: Capitals vs. Islanders Game 3 Game Day

Your savory breakfast links:

• The state of your nation’s Capitals. Time to get real, folks. [Rink]
• Three things we were talking about yesterday in the aftermath of Game 2. [Rink]
• The legendary founder of Japers’ Rink stops in to chat with the JRR crew about Game 2 and Reirden’s future. [Rink]
• Previews of a pivotal Game 3 from Vogs, NHL, ESPN, NBCSW, Newsday, NoVa Caps, and as always be sure to check out our SB Nation pals over at Lighthouse Hockey.
• Once upon a time (like four months ago) the Caps were, at the very least, a lethal offensive team. So far, however, the Isles have neutralized that offense. [WaPo]
• Hear from some of the Caps and their head coach after yesterday’s “time to regroup” practice. [Caps video (Reirden, Hagelin, Dillon/Oshie)]
• Reirden alluded to some possible line changes ahead of today’s game; here are some potential options he could go with. [NBCSW, Caps Outsider]
• The good news is that Nicklas Backstrom was on the ice for at least part of yesterday’s practice - but no word yet whether he’ll be in the lineup. [NBCSW]
• The hockey world was abuzz yesterday over Tuukka Rask’s decision to leave the bubble and be with his family - but T.J. Oshie, his teammates, and the Isles all understand the decision. [NBCSW, NY Post, Newsday]
• A few leftovers from Friday night’s loss (if you must). [NBCSW, Islanders, NY Post, RMNB, StarsandSticks]
• These two teams met in the postseason five years ago - and at least one side is having trouble moving on from the past. [Islanders]
• The Isles’ depth is showing (such as it is). [THW]
• So what have we learned through the first two games of this series? [StarsandSticks]