Yale earned its playoff bye with three straight hard-fought victories, all won in the third period or overtime on goals by guys not normally counted on for scoring. And with goalie Jeff Malcolm showing his 'A' form again, especially in the third period against Cornell, it seems the Bulldogs are prepped and ready for the postseason. Here's my story for the Register.

Keith Allain made a great point about the benefit of a first-round bye. Last March, Yale played six games in 10 days between the first round and quarterfinals. It went three games in beating Princeton, once in overtime, then beat Harvard on the road in overtime to take a 1-0 advantage. But it lost Game 2 in double-OT, and by the third game were completely gassed in losing handily.

It's a time to rest and heal. No better time for fresh legs.