Backes was handed a three-game suspension for interference Wednesday.

EDGE Analysis

Backes was penalized for delivering a very late hit to the head of Detroit's Frans Nielsen in Tuesday's contest. Nielsem was forced to leave the game, and according to Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press, Nielsen will miss at least two games with what's being called an upper-body injury. Backes is eligible to return Tuesday in Carolina, but in the meantime, Boston will be without a member of their top power-play unit and No. 3 center while already thin in the middle of the ice with Patrice Bergeron (broken foot) currently sidelined. Noel Acciari will likely enter the lineup in Backes' absence, though who's tasked with replacing Backes' role in the lineup remains to be seen.