Weeks after his career appeared to be at a crossroads, David Backes relishes the 'elation' that came with a return to TD Garden ice

David Backes would probably be the first to tell you that he’s scored bigger goals in his 14-year NHL career.

Through 937 games played, the 35-year-old forward has lit the lamp 245 times, chipping in with another 17 tallies over the span of 82 matchups in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. A two-time Olympian, he's scored four times over 12 bouts in the international competition, ranking second on the 2014 U.S. team in goals scored (three) during the Sochi Games.

Sunday’s power-play tally against the Montreal Canadiens involved far fewer stakes — although, granted it still proved to be the game-winner in an eventual 3-1 victory, marking Boston's seventh win in a row. 

But given the timing in what has been an awfully eventful month for the Bruins winger, Backes' quick shot past Carey Price brought a calming release for a skater in desperate need of a break. 

"You could see it on my face," Backes said of his emotions following the goal. "That was elation."


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Sunday stood as the first time that Backes has taken to the ice at TD Garden after missing the previous 13 contests with his club. An extended layoff, no doubt. But one that could have been much longer, if not permanent, had certain factors gone in opposition directions. 



A little less than a month ago, Backes was involved in a scary scene at TD Garden, knocking heads with Ottawa’s Scott Sabourin. Backes did not confirm that he suffered a concussion during the sequence. Even though Sabourin took the brunt of the damage, the Bruins veteran did note that he suffered blurred vision and other concerning symptoms in the immediate aftermath of the hit. Once Sabourin was successfully taken off the ice in a stretcher, Backes went down the tunnel and did not return.

The writing was on the wall when it came to Backes' status, health-wise, given that he has suffered at least three concussions as a member of the Bruins since signing a contract with the B's back in 2016. Wanting to make sure that he would not put himself at further risk by continuing to play the game of hockey, Backes consulted with an independent neurologist to assess his current situation. But before getting the all-clear, Backes found himself in a state of flux — only returning to the ice less than two weeks ago.

At one point, a scenario loomed that perhaps this latest collision was simply going to be one hit too many, and that it was time for Backes to finally hang up his skates. He might have dodged that bullet, but Backes still had to shake off the rust and get back to game shape, especially considering his regular spot in the lineup is far from guaranteed.

Backes was still used rather sparingly in his return to action against Montreal, logging a team-low 9:04 of ice time in the win. But the forward made good use of the time allotted to him by Bruce Cassidy, especially when serving as the "bumper" on Boston's second power-play unit.

Given the vacancy at that spot due to the domino effect of Patrice Bergeron's injury, Backes was pressed into service away from his regular special-teams role as a net-front option. But upon receiving a feed from David Krejci on the outer edge of the right circle, Backes snapped one past Price in short order, giving Boston a lead that it would not cough up for the rest of the night.

"Scoring a goal in the NHL is cool," Backes said. "To have some adversity to fight through, to put hard work in, to be back in the lineup and have that opportunity and then to make good on it is really cool. To have that micro-storyline to say, two weeks ago, I wasn't even skating and didn't know if I was done for my career.  To go through the steps I went through to get a clean bill of health and to press back to play to have that moment, it was special."

Backes has some momentum to roll with going into the rest of a busy week for the B's, but the veteran can't afford to let any lulls start to develop. Especially with more healthy bodies expected to slot back into the lineup in the coming weeks, Backes is on a short leash — averaging 8:22 of ice time on the year.

Most effective as a heavy body on a checking line, Backes will need to maximize his efforts, primarily at 5v5 play, in order to keep his spot on this roster. He likely won't be lighting the lamp on a regular basis (and especially not as the bumper guy on the power play), but if he can throw his weight around in the offensive zone and support the forecheck by pinning skaters and winning battles, Cassidy won't have many qualms with his game.

Sure, Backes scored the game-winning goal against the Habs, but he was awfully effective whenever he was called out for a shift on Sunday. Despite finishing with a limited 8:26 of 5v5 TOI, the Bruins held a commanding 11-2 edge in shot attempts and an 8-1 advantage in shots on goal when Backes was deployed during that stretch.

It remains to be seen what Backes' role on this club will be, at least in terms of penciled-in, regular contributions once more bodies are back in the lineup. But on Sunday night, Backes could at least relish in a momentary victory. And he has every right to do so, considering they've been few and far between this year.

"It's an awesome group of guys, the best group of guys," Backes said of the reception he received from his teammates following his goal. "What we were able to do last year and get to a Game 7 of a Final was no fluke, because we genuinely care about each other, we pick each other up, check in on each other when we're injured and not around the rink. It translates on the ice with what we're able to do. Quite a few guys have come up to me and I think they're genuinely happy for my success and that's not always the case in professional sports. We've got an awesome group."