Monday Caps Clips: Fur-midable Opponent

Your savory breakfast links:

• Get to know more of the Caps’ Round 1 opponents: Joe Thornton and Aleksander Barkov. [Rink]
• The Washington Capitals recalled goaltender Zach Fucale from Hershey yesterday. [Caps, WHN, NoVa Caps, RMNB, S+S]
• Alex Ovechkin looks ready to go for the Washington Capitals come Game 1. [WaPo ($), Athletic ($), NBCSW, RMNB]
• Other bits and bobs from the Caps’ first postseason practice yesterday, including some player interviews. [Caps video (Coach Laviolette, Backstrom, Orlov, Wilson, Ovechkin), WHN, NoVa Caps]
• A snapshot of the Capitals overall in the final quarter of the season. [RMNB]
• This Round 1 matchup with the Florida Panthers will not be easy, but it is not all doom and gloom for the Caps. [NoVa Caps]
• This postseason will be a big test for Evgeny Kuznetsov. [S+S]
• Like last year, Coach Laviolette will be keeping Washington’s netminding situation for Game 1 under wraps. [NBCSW]
• Vitek Vanecek has done enough to prove he deserves the postseason starting nod. [S+S]
• A playoff preview with bold predictions for all 16 teams. [ESPN]
• The odds might be stacked against them, but the Caps can still win the Cup. [S+S]
• In news from Sunrise, defenseman Aaron Ekblad was back on the ice for the Panthers yesterday. [FHN]
• Finally, happy 43rd birthday to Jason Chimera and happy 30th birthday to Stanley Cup champ Brett Connolly!