Need to Know: Backes Back in for B's

RALEIGH - After serving his three-game suspension, David Backes will make his return to the Bruins lineup on Tuesday night when the B's take on the Carolina Hurricanes. Over the course of the ban - the first of his 12-year career - the Bruins went 2-1-0, with a victory over the Philadelphia Flyers before splitting a home-and-home with the Chicago Blackhawks.
"It's certainly not fun to be watching your teammates," said Backes after pregame skate on Tuesday. "When they're winning, you kind of move on. When we lose a game against Chicago in Chicago, it's kind of like, could I have helped out in any way?"

While prohibited from taking part in game action, Backes was able to practice with team.
"I was trying to do anything behind the scenes I could," said Backes.
Moving forward, the veteran will focus on putting the whole incident behind him.
"I'm not going to be preoccupied with it," said Backes. "It's in the past. We'll move on. Live in the moment and try to help our team win a game [Tuesday]."
Teammate Brad Marchand commented on how impactful it will be to have Backes back for the tilt against Carolina.
"He's going to be huge," said Marchand. "He always is for our room, for our bench. The emotion that he plays with on the ice is so easy to feed off of. He's so good at holding a team accountable.
"Really bringing a lot of energy and making sure guys are prepared for the game. Again, that presence on the ice, the way he plays and how demanding and physical he is on the other guys - He's a big player for our team, so we are happy to get him back."
Prior to his suspension, Backes was moved to the center position for the B's game against the Detroit Red Wings on Mar. 6. The shift was caused by a crop of injuries, however, Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy liked what he saw from Backes in the role.
"I started to see a little more jump out of the middle of the ice," said Cassidy. "Then unfortunately he got suspended. Hopefully the time off has energized him, because you do have to skate more as a center man.
"I think that's the biggest adjustment for him is working goal line to goal line. And less on the walls. It's more of a legs game than a brawn game. I've liked him in there. We've missed him in the faceoff circle. Missed him down low. Hopefully he's excited to be back in. It looked like it this morning, ready to go here and we'll see what he's got."
Backes also noted a developing comfort level for his entire line with him at center.
"I thought I was starting to find my game again at the center ice position against Detroit," said Backes. "Hopefully that comes right back to me and we can be a productive unit as a third line that's tough to play against, plays in the offensive zone and creates some chances and have to add to the offense as well."
With the extra responsibility that comes with manning the middle of the ice, Backes is welcoming his new role.
"Extra work," said Backes. "No one is shying away from it around here and if it's on my shoulders at center ice, I'll embrace it."

Marchand a Game Time Decision

Cassidy gave an update on Marchand, who was a last-minute scratch for Sundays game in Chicago with an upper-body injury.
"Marchy [Brad Marchand] will be a game-time decision," said Cassidy. "The other day, we thought he was in. Turns out last minute he wasn't able to play. Today, I don't want to get out in front of it. We hope he'll play, be ready to play. Again, he'll go out for warmup."
Marchand commented on the progress he has made in the recent days.
"I felt a little better today," said Marchand. "If we would have played yesterday I wouldn't have been able to play but feel better today. Happy with the progress."
The 5-foot-9 winger also described the nature of his injury.
"It was more for the fact that if it got worse, I could have been out for months. It was more precautionary. If I was to take another hit, it could have been a long time. Just where we are and how close we are to playoffs, it wasn't worth the risk."
With a return near, Marchand is looking forward to the meaningful games that are played this time of the season.
"It's exciting," said Marchand. "It's a grind for sure. After playing 60-plus games, you're getting down to the wire. You kind of the see the light at the end of the tunnel where you know what you're fighting for whether it's certain playoff seeding's or playoff positions.
"Or just playing great going into the postseason. It's very exciting knowing kind of where things are going to shape up and that you are fighting for something every night."

Bergeron Update

After the pregame skate, Cassidy also provided an update on injured forward Patrice Bergeron, who is out with a fractured right foot.
"Bergy [Patrice Bergeron] is not on the trip," said Cassidy. "We will rule him out this week. He's getting some further evaluation this week and that's about it. I guess when next week comes, we'll have a better idea how he's progressing."

Opposing Views

On Tuesday night, the Bruins will do battle with a Carolina Hurricanes team desperately clinging to playoff hope. After losing three of their last four games, including Monday night to the New York Rangers, the Canes sit seven points back of the second wild card position with 13 games to play.
Carolina is fueled by a pair of Finnish forwards. Teuvo Teravainen (20-34=54) and Sebastian Aho (24-29-53) form a strong offensive duo up front. The Hurricanes are also supplemented by a few key veterans, as Justin Williams (14-30=44), Jeff Skinner (20-21=41) and captain Jordan Staal (15-22=37) have a combined 34 seasons of NHL experience.
In net, Carolina is backstopped by Cam Ward and Scott Darling. The duo have appeared in 36 and 37 games respectively, with Ward accumulating a 19-11-4 record with a 2.70 goals against average and a .907 save percentage. Darling's record is 11-17-7, with a 3.08 goals against average and a .888 save percentage.