Tuesday Caps Clips: Capitals vs. Islanders Game 4 Game Day

Your savory breakfast links:

• This is the world’s worst hangover. [Rink]
• Three things we were talking about yesterday when we were talking about the Caps. [Rink]
• Previews of Game 4 from Vogs, AP, NBCSW, NoVa Caps, and as always be sure to check out those smug bastar-, er, our SB Nation pals over at Lighthouse Hockey for the other side of this series.
• Hear from Coach Reirden, Lars Eller and Nic Dowd. [Caps video (Reirden, Eller/Dowd)]
• With one chance left to save their season, the Capitals know they have more to give. No one who has watched them thus far would question that. [WaPo, NHL]
• The Islanders, for their part, know they’ll need to match the Caps’ desperation if they want to sweep (but they don’t really want to... right? Where’s the fun?) [Newsday, NY Post]
• Step one for the Caps would be to fix their five-on-five game and fast, because the Isles are running the show at even strength so far. [WaPo, NBCSW, RMNB]
• To that end it would be helpful to have Nicklas Backstrom back, so it’s a good sign that he skated yesterday and will be reevaluated later today. [NBCSW]
• Yes, the Caps face a near-impossible feat of coming back from 0-3. But it did happen just six years ago, to the eventual Cup champs. It’s okay to believe? [NBCSW]
• Each of the last two Cup champions got off to a rocky start in this postseason, perhaps at least in part because of a lack of required intensity early on. [STLToday]
• Be sure to check out the latest Race in America roundtable discussion, featuring Garnet Hathaway, Braden Holtby, Brenden Dillon and former Cap Joel Ward. [Caps, NBCSW]
• There’s a lot of heat on Todd Reirden right now - but make no mistake, the players have to own some of this to avoid wholesale changes. [NBCSW]
• So what changes should be made if they get swept? Perhaps not the ones you’d think. [RMNB]
• It’s likely that Braden Holtby’s tenure in DC is coming to an end, either today or in the coming weeks - but what he gave to this team and this city won’t be forgotten. [WaPo]
• What the hell is up with Norris Trophy finalist John Carlson? [NoVa Caps]
• A few leftovers from Sunday’s overtime loss. [Vogs, RMNB]
• Tough times all around, as Monumental Sports & Entertainment announced the furlough of 232 full-time employees. [WaPo]
• Congrats to the NHL on another clean week with no COVID tests. It really is a job well done. [PHT]
• Happy 58th birthday to Geoff Courtnall, and happy 69th birthday to Bruce Cowick.

Do the good thing, Caps.