Your savory breakfast links:

• Previews of and thoughts on tonight's Sabre dance from Vogs (with more from Vogs at Dump 'n Chase), NHL.com, Buffalo News, Peerless, Capital Games, Sick Unbelievable, RMNB and CRtC, and be sure to check out our SB Nation partner Die By The Blade 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, Holtby, Green), WaPo, WashTimes, CSNW (and video), 106.7 The Fan]
  • Dale Hunter likens tonight's game to a playoff Game 7... which he may not want to mention to his players, given their past two efforts in such games. [Caps365 (video), WaPo]
  • [Brief interlude: Hunter? Caps/Sabres? Big playoff game? Enjoy.]
  • Nicklas Backstrom is "not a hundred percent yet," but "getting there." [Caps365 (video), WaPo, CSNW]
  • Joel Ward was off crutches and back on the ice yesterday, but is questionable for tonight. [Caps365 (video), DCEx, WaPo, WashTimes, CSNW]
  • Jay Beagle may know better than anyone else on the team what Backstrom is going through. [DCEx, WashTimes]
  • Presumably everyone's mom made sure they looked their best for yesterday's team picture. [Caps365 (video), Capitals Overtime (click pic to enlarge)]
• Whether or not he's back for good, Alex Ovechkin is back... and that's good. [WaPo]
• He's also the NHL's Third Star of the Week. [Capitals, SB Nation DC, CSNW]
• Holtby got some well-deserved (inter)national attention, as he was a guest on NHL Live. [Caps365 (video)]
• More on Holtby: can he be The Guy? [WashTimes, Homer McFanboy, Peerless, RMNB, DCEx, WaPo]
• Still more on Holtby: his car is parked in the daily lot in Harrisburg (though something tells me he'll happily pay the $20 per day and pocket his NHL salary, which is around eight times what he makes in the AHL). [DC Sports Bog, CSNW, WashTimes]
• Go inside Matt Hendricks' pre-game routine in a special Hockey Diaries segment. [Caps365 (video)]
• Gategate! (Not to be confused with this.) [Ted's Take, PHT]
• Do the Caps have you-know-who to thank for the captain's hot streak? (Of course not.) [RealSports.ca]
• But speaking of him, here's a shirsey foul for the ages. [RMNB]
• And speaking of such wardrobe oddities, how about a LaVar Arrington Caps jersey? (He might have to fight Chris Bourque for the number.) [DC Sports Bog, to whom we extend congratulations on the new addition (no, Dan didn't have a baby)]
• Finally, Friend of the Blog Alan May will be guest bartending at Penn Quarter Sports Tavern tomorrow evening to raise some coin for the Humane Society. Stop on by for a good cause and a good time.