Backstrom (illness) will play on the first line Tuesday against the Hurricanes, Isabelle Khurshudyan of The Washington Post reports.

EDGE Analysis

Backstrom had four straight games without a point before a Dec. 30 matchups, when he poured one goal and two assists on the Devils. He'll likely slot back into the top power-play line for a juicy matchup against the Hurricanes, who are tagged with the 24th-ranked penalty-kill unit.