After what would have been his first goal of the season was called back on Friday night, David Backes was left wondering what he needed to do to finally get a tally added to the goal column.

Apparently all that was needed was a trip to Montreal.

Backes’ tenure as a Bruin has been one to forget, with injuries and inconsistency being his biggest issues. But on Saturday, he was the Bruins most valuable forward.

After stripping Canadiens rookie Jesperi Kotkaniemi of the puck in the first period, Backes raced in with his first goal of the season in sights. A quick wrist shot past Carey Price and no question of a good goal or not, Backes was finally able to exhale.



“It was a quick play for me where I got the puck, I could see a hole and then I just shot it as hard as I could. It was a beautiful sight in my mind to see the puck go into the net off my stick,” Backes said. “I had a little primal scream when I got back to the bench to finally get it out of me. It feels good to score, but I think the story is that it was a great team win today.”

The win—the Bruins second in as many nights—had Backes imprints all over it.

After the Bruins blew a two-goal lead in the third period, Backes took a Johnathan Drouin high stick to the face. Drawing blood on the play, Drouin was assessed a double minor for the infraction.

"Those [teeth] have been hit before and had to be replaced, so maybe them being numb was an asset for me tonight. We'll take the power play. Four-minute power play with five minutes left in a tie game is certainly a good thing to have,” said Backes.

"I don't mind bleeding. Bleeding's better than concussions to me. I think if that's what it takes to win then I'll take blood."

With the Bruins not generating much during the first half of the double minor, it was a Backes shot that created the rebound for John Moore, whose first goal as a Bruin served as the game-winning-goal.

The two-point night was Backes first of the season. Backes finished the night with four shots on goal. Since being dropped to the fourth line, Backes and linemates Chris Wagner and Sean Kuraly have gelled together nicely.

"He needed it. There's no doubt. [Friday] night, one went in, it was a little too late after the whistle. He's been close. I think for his own sake - a guy that's scored in this league, a veteran player, it weighs on you,” said head coach Bruce Cassidy. “He admitted himself, he's squeezed his stick. Good for him, hopefully this opens the floodgates."

Backes is not going to live up to his $6 million a year cap hit, but the Bruins will take whatever contributions they can get from him.

Join the Discussion: » 5 Comments » Post New Comment

» The End of an Era?

» Linus Ullmark or Jeremy Swayman in Game 7?

» Home Not So Sweet Home

» Bruins Depth On Full Display In Sunrise Sweep

» Bruins Drop Game 2 After Ugly Performance