Your savory Sunday brunch links:

• Previews of tonight's what-have-you with the Wild from Vogs, NHL.com, Peerless, RMNB, PHT and CRtC, and be sure to check out Hockey Wilderness for more coverage from the other side of tonight's match-up.
• Notes and assorted whatnot from yesterday out at Kettler:
  • In general. [Caps365 video (Rinkside Update, Hunter, Ovechkin, Alzner, Chimera), WashTimes, CSNW, 106.7 The Fan, CRtC]
  • The only news that matters: a beaming Nicklas Backstrom received the welcome word that he has been cleared to practice fully with the the team. And so he did. [Dump 'n' Chase, Caps365 (video), WaPo (and again), WashTimes, DCEx, CSNW, NHL.com, PHT, Eye on Hockey, DC Pro Sports Report, RMNB]
    • Sure, but when he can play, can he, y'know, play? [Sick Unbelievable]
  • What was the deal with Joel Ward and the crutches? [Dump 'n' Chase]
• Before we look ahead to the game with Minny, let's have a last look back at that loss to Winny. [FanPost, WaPo, BrooksLaichYear]
• Jason Chimera is finding a balance. [KOL]
• In which Dennis Wideman finds his way onto the pages of Southwest Airlines' in-flight magazine. [spiritmag.com]
• Plenty of news from throughout the Caps organization:
  • Hershey Bears
    • Newly reassigned forward Cody Eakin found the back of the net for the game-tying goal as the Bears came back to beat the Charlotte Checkers 2-1. Goaltender Dany Sabourin had his sixth straight start and fifth straight win ... [Patriot-News (with photo gallery), SHoE, Caps Outsider]
    • ... on Keith Aucoin Bobblehead Night ... [Caps Outsider]
      
    • ... and American Hockey League president David Andrews and Bears GM Doug Yingst announced that the Hershey Bears and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins will face each other outdoors at Hersheypark Arena Stadium next January. [AHL.com, Chirps From The Ledge, SHoE]
  • South Carolina Stingrays
    • It appears that goalie prospect Philipp Grubauer's season has come to a premature end as he will undergo wrist surgery this week and is not expected to be available for the rest of the regular season or playoffs ... [Post and Courier]
    • ... and it appears that leading scorer Trent Campbell's season has also come to a premature end as he was suspended by the team following his Friday night arrest on the felony charge of Grand Theft Taxicab. No, really. [Post and Courier, Naples Daily News (with mugshot)]
      
  • Prospects and their Playoffs
    
    • Evgeny Kuznetsov brought the noise with a game-winning goal and added an empty netter to advance Traktor Chelyabinsk past Kazan Ak Bars and on to the Gagarin Cup East Conference Final series with Avangard Omsk ... [KHL.com, RMNB]
      • ... and then brought some more noise in his post-game presser, in which he appeared to retract his previous statement(s) about his plans for next season. The standard caution, patience, and grain-of-salt advisories apply ... [RMNB, Sporting News, SB Nation DC]
      • ... and by the way, if you're in the market for a new pair of jeans, Zhenya can recommend a fine manufacturer. [Mustang Jeans]
    • Stanislav Galiev earned Second Star of the Game hono(u)rs for his 1-goal, 4-assist, +5 performance as the Saint John Sea Dogs manhandled the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles by the score of 8-1 to go up 2-0 in their first-round series. [Station Nation, @galixon_97]
    • In NCAA men's D-1 action, Caleb Herbert scored the game-tying goal by banking the puck off the goalie as the Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs advanced past the Maine Black Bears 5-2 ... [Box Score, Centre Daily (with pic), @JulieRobenhymer (pic)]
    • ... Patrick Wey had a power play assist as the Boston College Eagles advanced past the Air Force Falcons 2-0 ... [Box Score]
      • ... and the two Caps prospects will face each other today at 8pm for the privilege of advancing to the Frozen Four. [Frozen Four]
    • On the other side of the brackets, Garrett Haar went pointless and finished minus-1 as the Western Michigan Broncos lost to North Dakota 3-1. His season is complete. [Box Score]
• From the Japers' Wayback Machine: One year ago in Dmitry Orlov news. [Dobber Hockey]
• Finally, happy 39th birthday to Andrei Nikolishin, happy 56th to Dwight Schofield and happy 57th to Ted Bulley.