Your savory breakfast links:
- This series has the fun of being extremely lopsided on paper but also the awareness that you don’t play hockey games on paper. [Rink]
- Get to know some more of the bad guys for the next one to two weeks. [Rink (Matheson, Suzuki, Demidov)]
- The end of the season wasn’t great for the Caps, but they’re confident and ready to put that in the rearview mirror and get these playoffs going. [THN]
- Let’s get to some previews and predictions for Caps-Habs (and the other 7 series, if you’re so inclined). [NHL (Caps-Habs, Predictions, NHL Tonight (video), ESPN, RDS, Sportsnet, USA Today, THN, S&S, THW]
- Did y’all know these two teams met once before in the playoffs?? Brand new information. No memory of that. Weird. [NHL, Gazette]
- Intriguing matchups for each of the opening-round series and storylines for the playoffs. [The Score, AP]
- Answering questions about the Caps, including thoughts on Leonard, injury updates, and more. [THN]
- If you really want to relive the last regular-season game, a lackluster loss in Pittsburgh…be our guest. [RMNB]
- As annoying as that game was, a silver lining was Clay Stevenson, who was very solid despite ceding five goals in his NHL debut. [RMNB]
- Just an old dude, doing things that almost no other old dude has done in the NHL. [RMNB]
- Unsurprisingly, Cole Hutson is following the Ryan Leonard/Lane Hutson path and staying in school to try and get that NCAA championship in 2026. Go get ’em, Cole! [IG: @colehutson33]
- Caps fans are certainly ready for a run, as playoff festivities got underway yesterday with a pep rally in DC. [WJLA, NBC4]