BOSTON - David Backes certainly made his mark on a massive Game 4 win for the Bruins in Columbus.
The 34-year-old power forward picked up an assist on the B’s third-period insurance goal from Sean Kuraly and drew a pair of penalties while throwing his body around for five registered hits in 10-plus minutes of ice time.
Bruce Cassidy said Friday that he was inclined to keep Backes in the lineup for Game 5 tonight against the Blue Jackets at TD Garden. That would make sense based on A) the way that Backes played and B) the physical, deliberate style of this second-round series that very much plays into Backes’ wheelhouse of size and strength.
“I have not seen him, assume he’s feeling well,” said Cassidy at Friday’s media availability. “He finished the game, played hard. He should be good to go [Saturday]. I thought he did his job well.
“I do believe [Backes] brings intangibles, that’s one thing David has. David is more intangibles, physicality, some of the leadership skills that are a little bit behind the scenes, on the bench, and in the room that go unnoticed at times, but are still important.”
It certainly won’t hurt having Backes’ big 6-foot-3 frame around to throw a large body in front of Sergei Bobrovsky after the Bruins got four goals by him in Game 4.
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The best news of all for Backes and the Bruins headed into Game 5?
The venerable winger didn’t seem to have any ill effects from the Dean Kukan elbow to the jaw he absorbed in the first period. He eventually returned to the game after making sure that there was no concussive aftereffect.
“I felt it hit me in the face. I came into [the quiet room] to make sure everything was okay and I was all right, and then back into the game I went,” said Backes. “I felt pretty good. It was a little bit of getting up to speed in the first. It’s a man’s game out there. I think these are two teams that are very similar with some very physical guys, and some guys with speed that want to get in on the fore-check.
“Being able to get a regular shift after the power-play, penalty-kill challenge that was the first 40 minutes, it felt good to be back out there with the guys and contribute to a win.”
Now, Backes will get that again in Game 5 as the veteran winger has proven he can provide a lift when inserted into the lineup in the middle of a playoff series.
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