Bruins Notes: Brad Marchand, David Backes Make Immediate Impact In Return

BOSTON — The injury bug has not been kind to the Bruins in 2017, but Wednesday marked the important returns of Brad Marchand and David Backes.

And from puck drop at TD Garden, their presence on the ice was palpable.

Within the first two minutes of the Bruins’ 3-2 win over the league-leading Tampa Bay Lightning, both players already had registered a shot on net.

Entering Wednesday, Marchand had missed the previous six games — and eight of the last 10 — with an undisclosed injury. Backes had not played the last 12 games following colon surgery. Both players, however, felt they were well-suited to fit seamlessly back into the fold.

“I felt good,” Marchand said. “Played a lot, felt comfortable, didn’t feel like I missed a beat, I think I was just so excited to get back and get into it. Also, pucks were bouncing the right way at times too, which is what you need.”

“I think I felt better than I expected to feel,” Backes added. “(When you have) four weeks off 20-something games into the season, and everyone is hitting their stride, trying to catch up from 10 days sitting around not doing anything is a bit of a challenge. But that’s a credit to the training staff here.”

Throughout the game, Backes’ net-front presence was in peak form, as he created some chaos in front of the goal and made space by way of bodying Lightning skaters.

Marchand, meanwhile, had the second assist in both of the Bruins’ first period goals. His quickness with the puck and ability to make plays in small areas helped the B’s offense stay dynamic. At the same time, his composure with the puck helped the Bruins control possession against a Lightning team that has played much of their season in the offensive end.

With those returns in mind, Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy was in a particularly jovial mood after the game after not losing any additional players to injury.

“Speaking of injuries, we didn’t have any tonight, so we’ll have 10 extra minutes to talk about the game,” Cassidy quipped when asked about players returning to the lineup.

Cassidy had to lean on both players quite a bit, especially Marchand, as the Bruins’ 3-0 lead was reduced to one goal in the third period. Marchand finished the night 22:09 minutes of ice time, with Backes compiling 18:58.

“I thought (Marchand) was real good, played a lot of minutes, situation dictated that, wasn’t how we drew it up. But he’s certainly capable of it,” Cassidy said. “I like Backes, he’s physical, you could tell there was a little rust, which we expected, but just having his presence out there (was positive).”

The chemistry Marchand has built up over time with David Pastrnak and Patrice Bergeron was apparent from the beginning. The trio picked right back up where they had left off.

And even when the 29-year-old was playing alongside those other than his linemates, he fit in just fine, best represented by his assist on Riley Nash’s first-period goal.

“Our line was clicking pretty well,” Marchand said. “So that makes it a lot easier when we’re rolling like that.”

The underlying theme, however, is that injuries still are pervasive on Boston’s roster. Anders Bjork and David Krejci both were scratched due to injury, while others like Adam McQuaid will be gone for a longer time. Regardless of who is on the ice for the Bruins, however, a night like Wednesday where they go out and beat the top team in the league certainly is a step in the right direction.

Moreover, it’s a positive glimpse into the future if they eventually can dress a largely injury-free roster.

“I think considering the guys that have been out, and how very little we’ve had our whole team this year — if we have at all — we’re sitting alright,” Marchand said. “There’s no excuses, regardless we have to win games and find ways to win. … But when we get our whole team back and are healthy, we’re going to be good.”

Here are more notes from Bruins-Lightning:

— The Bruins are 17-4-1 in their last 22 matchups against the Lightning.

— Ryan Spooner also played Wednesday after missing Sunday’s game against Edmonton after re-aggravating his groin injury. He had 10:11 of ice time and contributed an assist.

— Possibly the Bruins’ biggest reason for success Wednesday was their ability to outshoot the Lightning. They outshot the Bolts 19-5 in the first period and 32-12 in the second, finishing the game with a 36-21 shot advantage.