Niklas Backstrom might get the call to start Saturday in Carolina. Josh Harding will start Thursday night at Washington and his strong play has kept Backstrom on the bench. "Hards has forced us to keep going here," coach Mike Yeo said. "There's no question that I do want to get Backy in there, especially that game that he played in Chicago, I thought he was outstanding in that game and would like to get him playing at that level consistency. We're a better team if we have both guys going and we're going to need both guys. At the same time, when you've got a hot guy, it's hard not to ride him, too." Backstrom hasn't been nearly as successful as Harding this year, while sporting a 1-1-2 record with an .871 save percentage and a 3.42 GAA in six outings.