Backes back in lineup lifts B’s
Returns from injury, scores winner
The NHL’s leading goal scorer tied the game in the third period, but it was David Backes who won it for the Bruins with his first goal of the season, in his first game back after missing 13 in arow.
Five days after the Bruins crushed the Habs in Montreal 8-1, it looked for a while like the Canadiens would get their revenge via shutout. David Pastrnak made sure that wouldn’t happen with his third period tally, and Backes scored the winner in the Bruins’ 3-1 win Sunday night.
Another sluggish start Sunday made it look like it was going to be one of the Bruins’ poorest efforts of the season, and it took until a four-minute stretch in the third period to change that narrative.
Backes has been out since nearly a month ago when he and the Senators’ Scott Sabourin were involved in a scary collision that left him with an upper body injury.
Sunday, with nine seconds left on a third-period power play, he fired from the slot to put the Bruins ahead.
The win gives the Bruins 43 points, tied with the Capitals for the most in the NHL, with a game in hand.
Just 1:58 into the game, the Canadiens struck.
Zdeno Chara turned the puck over behind the net to red-hot Joel Armia, and the winger flipped it past Tuukka Rask to go ahead 1-0.
The Bruins had started slowly the past couple of games against Ottawa and New York, and that carried over a bit on Sunday night, when the Canadiens had 11 takeaways in the first period, several of them aided by the Bruins.
Frustration boiled a bit late in the second, when Shea Weber tripped up Pastrnak for the first Bruins power play of the game. All five skaters for each team engaged, and that scuffle ended with Jake DeBrusk in the box as well, but the B’s still had a power play.
With 13:42 left in the third, though, with the possibility of a shutout looming, Pastrnak did what he does: he scored.
Anders Bjork connected with Pastrnak off the side boards. Pastrnak let loose a cannon from the right circle to make it a 1-1 game with his 25th tally of the season.
With 10:29 gone, Backes netted his first goal of the season on the power play to put the Bruins ahead for good.
Less than three minutes later, Jake DeBrusk joined in on the fun with his sixth tally. Connor Clifton got the puck out of the defensive zone and to Charlie Coyle, who found DeBrusk and he wristed in the insurance tally.
Montreal was in rough shape when the Bruins were there earlier in the week, but have now dropped eight straight. The Bruins, meanwhile, have won seven in a row dating back to November 19.
The Bruins continue their five-game homestand on Tuesday night as they host the Hurricanes.