Thursday Caps Clips: Capitals vs. Blackhawks Game Day

Your savory breakfast links:

• Previews of tonight's visit from the defending Cup champs from Vogs, Caps Today, NHL.com, Peerless, Stars and Sticks, and be sure to check out our SBN pals over at Second City Hockey for the other side of tonight's matchup.
  • Caps fans: please please PLEASE do not do this, or anything like it, tonight. Be better. [Chicago Sun-Times]
• News and notes from yesterday's practice:
  • In general. [Monumental video (Trotz, Ovechkin, Beagle]
  • Barry Trotz isn't mad, kids. He's just... disappointed. [CSNMA]
  • Nicklas Backstrom has been cleared for contact and could join the team very soon (hooray!), although probably not tonight (boo). [Monumental video (Backstrom), WaPo, NHL.com, RMNB, CSNMA]
  • Turns out that "personal reason" that caused Alex Ovechkin to miss Tuesday's game was an alarm malfunction and a missed morning skate. Been there. [WaPo (and again), WashTimes, CSNMA, AP, NHL.com, The Score, THW, Deadspin]
    • So have many other professional athletes over the last year or so, apparently. [WaPo]
    • Good call, Trotz. No, really. [WaPo, Stars and Sticks]
  • After going leg-first into the goal post the other night, Jason Chimera didn't skate yesterday and is day-to-day with a lower-body injury. [WaPo]
• A few leftovers from Tuesday's Shark shellacking. [Dump 'n Chase, Rink, CSNMA]
  • People are still talking about that controversial (read: ridiculous and incorrect) call that overturned Dmitry Orlov's goal Tuesday night. [WaPo, TSN, The Score, RMNB]
• A couple of new Caps check in pretty high on a list of the top 90 right wings. [Bleacher Report (Oshie, Williams)]
• Check out Braden Holtby's new purple mask, which he'll wear on October 28 to support Hockey Fights Cancer. [Caps Overtime]
• The Caps' cupboard is pretty well stocked with defensive prospects right now. [HF]
• Riley Barber is off to a pretty decent start in his first pro season, with a two-goal performance in his Hershey debut. [Patriot-News]
• Watch Ovechkin make the day memorable for a group from the American Special Hockey Association. [Monumental video]