Breaking: Bruins to get a boost up front tonight

Boston Bruins center David Backes is back well ahead of schedule, after surgery to remove a portion of his colon, but fans will not complain. Head coach Bruce Cassidy announced on Wednesday that the 33-year-old would return to the lineup at home against the first-place Tampa Bay Lightning.

And the news gets better: he'll be joined in the lineup by fellow injured forwards Brad Marchand and Ryan Spooner. 

Marchand missed eight of Boston's last 10 games with multiple injuries. Despite the absence, he remains second-leading scorer on the team with eight goals and seven assists in 14 games.

Good news!