Backes in line to fill Krejci hole
The Bruins have had their top two centers available at the same time for exactly two periods of hockey this season. Now there’s no telling when that will happen again.
After Patrice Bergeron missed the first five games with a lower body injury, David Krejci left the sixth game with what was described as back spasms. He was initially termed day-today, and last Saturday was a gametime decision as he took pregame warmups before it was decided he couldn’t play against the Sabres.
But the B’s have updated Krejci’s prognosis, now terming him week-to-week with the difficult-to-predict injury. He has been ruled out through the weekend and will miss Garden games tonight against the San Jose Sharks and Saturday against the Los Angeles Kings.
So how does coach Bruce Cassidy replace Krejci on a line with Jake DeBrusk and David Pastrnak? He’s played both Riley Nash and Tim Schaller up in the lineup, and the last two days in practice has tried David Backes there.
Cassidy conceded Backes might be better suited for a grinding, cycling type of line as opposed to a finesse line, but the B’s coach needs to make something work.
“He’s with finesse, so he has to adjust his game already, right?” Cassidy said with a chuckle. “That’s a bit of a challenge for the coaching staff. Now we’re trying to keep the top of the lineup guys happy, and David goes away from maybe what suits his style. But that’s part of the challenge for him and myself.
“Then you can say, ‘Well, use somebody else.’ That’s the easy answer. Put somebody else there. Well, we have used Riley Nash and I don’t think Sean Kuraly’s a fit. I think it’s too much to ask to have him go that high in the lineup. Timmy Schaller played there the other day (against Buffalo) and had some good moments and had some moments where he could have been better.
“By committee is how it’s going to go. Maybe it’s a rotating thing where Backs plays there a little bit and he wants to get back to his grind game and we move another guy up there. That’s how we’re looking at it. I wouldn’t even call it game-by-game. It’s periodby-period to see who’s the best fit and see how the team’s going.”
Backes made his name in the NHL as a centerman with St. Louis, but he hasn’t played there much with the Bruins. The rare times he has played in the middle he’s had wildly varying degrees of success. In the season opener last year, he filled in for the injured Bergeron between Brad Marchand and Pastrnak, and he looked like a bargain at $6 million year, notching a Gordie Howe hat trick with two goals, one assist and a fight. Later in the season, he was put between Ryan Spooner and Frank Vatrano and it was a disaster, finishing the game in Detroit a minus-3.
Backes said he was excited to go back to the familiar position. And he feels playing against the Sharks and Kings, two old foes from his Western Conference days, could suit him well.
“Nothing against San Jose, but they’re a bigger team that plays a heavy game. They have speed, too, but they have guys like Joe Thornton that, down low, you have to have some size and ability to separate them from pucks or else they tictac-toe you apart,” said the 33-year-old Backes. “I think it’s a good fit for me to maybe get my feet wet against some familiar opponents and hopefully we’ll hit the ground running and hopefully we’ll be playing well when guys start to filter in. We’ll see what happens after that. Then the coaches can make decisions on what’s best for the team.”
Backes missed the first five games due to a bout with diverticulitis. He said he’s off any prescription medications, though there’s some follow-up care involved. Surgery has not be ruled out, Backes said.
But right now, he’s feeling good and, after two somewhat unproductive games (zero points, minus-2) he’s hoping to make a positive impact.
“After you’re in the hospital for a few days and you’re not able to do anything for a week, I think I surprised myself with how good I felt,” he said. “Now it’s about getting onto those pucks. Getting your feet wet is great, but enough’s enough. Now it’s time to start to help out and find a way to win.”
Bruins notes
Defenseman Kevan Miller (thumb) and goalie Tuukka Rask (concussion) are considered day-to-day, though neither seemed limited in practice and, if there are no setbacks, they’re a good bet to play tonight. Rask will need to get clearance in the morning, said Cassidy.