BOSTON — David Backes was a healthy scratch for the first time in his career against the Philadelphia Flyers on Tuesday, but he responded in a big way Thursday night.
The Boston Bruins winger, mired in a slump for most of the season, got off the schneid with a goal in 11:25 of ice time in the B’s 5-2 victory over the St. Louis Blues on Thursday night at TD Garden. The veteran winger returned to the third line with a positive attitude about being scratched, taking full advantage of the unique look at the game he got Tuesday in Philly.
“When you can be at 30,000 feet up there in the press box … everything looks easy and you can see where all the open ice is and you can see kind of the plays that start to develop some offense and just hold on to the puck, not throwing it around and you know, communication,” Backes said. “(Sean Kuraly) and (Chris Wagner) talk a lot and that gives you a little bit more awareness of what’s behind you and what you’ve got as far as time or if you need to get rid of it or brace yourself for a hit and you can make that next play a little bit more confidently and we did that in the (offensive) zone.”
Backes admitted the last 48 hours had been “tumultuous, but it tests your character and you see how you respond to it.”
The 34-year-old credited his fresh legs for his performance Thursday, and he’ll get a chance to further test them Saturday when the Bruins welcome the New York Rangers to Boston before the All-Star break.
