Coach Ken Hitchcock confirmed that Backes (face) will be in the lineup Thursday against the Islanders, Lou Korac of NHL.com reports. This qualifies as a surprise after Backes was off the ice for each of the last two days while he continued to experience pain from some facial lacerations that he sustained Monday night, along with a few lost teeth. Backes will be forced to wear a full face shield to protect himself from further aggravation Thursday night, but it doesn't sound like he'll notice any other limitations. However, if Backes experiences even slight discomfort with his injury while playing, expect Hitchcock to rein in his ice time.