St. Louis Blues centerman David Backes and defenseman Jordan Leopold returned to the St. Louis Blues lineup on Saturday night, and found thier spots right where they left them.
"It's just business as usual," Blues coach Ken Hitchcock said before the game. "We expect Backes to play 17-20 ninutes again, no different. And we'll just absorb the rest of the minutes throughout the lineup."
Backes took his spot on the top line between T.J. Oshie and Jaden Schwartz, assisting on Schwartz' 15th of the season and also on Alex Pietrangelo's night-capper deep into the final frame as the Blues routed the Columbus Blue Jackets 6-2, taking their fifth straight and seven of their last eight.
True to his word, Hitchcock ran with Backes for 18:10 of ice time.
Leopold, who had missed nearly two months after having surgery to repair damaged ligaments in his right hand, took his spot opposite Ian Cole on the third defensive pairings.
Backes is a consistent force in the Blues lineup, posting 16 goals and a matching 16 helpers for 32 points in 36 games played this season, and is second on the team with 70 penalty minutes while sporting a solid plus-13 rating.
http://www.sportsinjuryalert.com/2014/01/backes-leopold-return-for-blues-rout-of.html
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