Your savory breakfast links:
- Notes and assorted whatnot from yesterday out at Kettler:
- In general. [Monumental video (Rinkside Update, Oates, Ovechkin, Holtby, Hendricks, Erat, Alzner)]
- Mike Ribeiro finds himself in a playoff frame of mind… [NHL.com, CSNW, WaPo, WashTimes]
- … and thanks for asking but no, the contract issue is not a distraction. Not even a little tiny bit. [Edmonton Sun]
- Lest you forget, Ribs isn’t the only recently-traded player looking forward to the second season. Oh hai there Martin Erat. And yes, Rick Nash. [Free Lance-Star, WaPo]
- The team is eager to see how their new systems (and new confidence in playing them) stack up against this familiar foe … [WaPo]
- … and perhaps surprisingly, the ever-elusive puck possession metrics may not be as large a factor as might have been expected. [Ibid.]
- It would surely help to have Joel Ward suited up and ready to go on Thursday. [NBC4]
- Alex Ovechkin is bringing swagger back … [AP Big Story]
- … with his goal-a-game form. [WashTimes]
- For those of you planning for transportation to-and-from the Verizon Center, worry not. Metro loves you and wants you to get home even if the game runs late. [WashTimes, WaPo]
- From the New York side of the series:
- A more measured Tortorella… [NYT]
- …or not. [PHT, Ranger Rants, Blueshirts Blog]
- On the need to get healthy. [Blue Line Station, NY Rangers Blog]
- Scouting reports on the Caps:
- Systems. [Blue Seat Blogs, Scotty Hockey]
- Goaltending. [Blue Seat Blogs, CBC Sports]
- Ovechkin. [NY Rangers Blog]
- Powering up the Rangers‘ power play. [NJ.com]
- Caps-Rangers previews, scouting reports, etc:
- They asked; we answered. [Total Sports Blog]
- Haven’t we seen you before? And you, and you, and … [RtR, WaPo Express]
- Four questions for a Rangers blogger … [Caps Outsider]
- … and five for a Caps blogger. [NY Rangers Blog]
- Contenders, not pretenders. Ask anyone! [CSNW]
- Bandwagons Ho! [Grantland]
- The two biggest matchups in this series. Go on, guess. [BLS]
- Ten factors that will shape the playoffs. [USA Today]
- Crystal ballin’ the Western Conference. [Peerless]
- Jeepers, creepers. Where’d you get those sleepers? [SportsNet]
- Predictions and previews:
- Caps in seven. [Eyes on the Prize]
- Rangers in seven. [Fansided, NYDN]
- Caps in six. [SI Red Light]
- Rangers in six. [CBS NY, Detroit News, NY Post]
- Roundtables. [RtR, SB Nation]
- Nine guys versus a 2012 25 cent Canadian quarter. The quarter picked the Rangers. Eff that noise. [Arctic Ice Hockey]
- Read; weep. [Down Goes Brown (and again)]
- Ten reasons why Adam Oates was the perfect hire. [Homer McFanboy]
- Exhibit A – that power play. [Dump ‘n’ Chase]
- Exhibit B – that awful, awful first week of February … and what came after. [Ibid.]
- Everything you thought you knew about season’s-end hot streaks is probably … well, just go read. [Peerless]
- GMGM on Ovi, Oates and more. [CSNW]
- The Hershey Bears Hockey Club welcomed Tom Wilson to Chocolatetown, and Connor Carrick has signed an ATO so he can also join in the post-season fun. [Patriot-News (and again and again), WashTimes]
- The Reading Royals dropped Game Six 2-1 to the Florida Everblades, which means the decisive Game Seven takes place tonight. [Caps Outsider]
- There is one more Caps prospect with some free time, as defenseman Jaynen Rissling and his Calgary Hitmen were eliminated in Game Seven of the WHL Eastern Conference Championships. [Victoria Times-Colonist]
- Make a wish – and just maybe Brooks Laich will help make it come true. [Caps Outsider]
- Here’s your daily call to beardly charitable action. [Beardathon]
- Finally, happy 43rd birthday to Reggie Savage and happy 52nd to Clint Malarchuk.