Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy said he didn't see David Backes prior to addressing the media Friday morning, but he assumed the veteran forward was fine.
"He finished the game, played hard, hopefully good to go [Saturday]," Cassidy said.
If Cassidy's right, Backes will remain in the lineup when the Bruins host the Columbus Blue Jackets in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference second round on Saturday at TD Garden.
In the Bruins' series-evening 4-1 victory in Game 4 Thursday, Backes made his return to the Boston lineup for the first time since Game 5 of the first round against Toronto and made the most of his 9:52 of ice time. He assisted on Sean Kuraly's goal that made the score 3-1, was credited with five hits and drew two penalties.
One of the penalties he drew put his health into question because he was elbowed in the face by Columbus defenseman Dean Kukan. Backes left the game but returned later in the period and gave the Bruins exactly what Cassidy hoped he would get from the 35-year-old after deciding to scratch rookie Karson Kuhlman.
"Yeah, I thought he did his job well," Cassidy said. "He got lost a little in the penalty kill, power play. If he's not on that second group power play, there's guys like him and [Danton] Heinen … that's the difficult part … one of the things Kuhlman does well with this group is he can sit for stretches and he's got a great motor coming out of not playing and missing shifts because of special teams. And I think for the older guys that's more difficult.
"That was a bit of a challenge for David, he's used to playing a lot most of his life. This year he's got to sit for a stretch and get out there and still play your game. So I think he's learned to adjust to that because of some of the circumstances over the last two months, and I thought he did a real good job of that last night getting those good minutes even though his legs may get a little rubbery sitting there for a while. And that's a challenge for guys that are in that position."
Backes said he felt like himself after playing his first game in 13 days.
"Yeah I felt pretty good. It was a little bit of getting up to speed in the first," he told the media in Columbus after Game 4. "You know it's a man's game out there, I think these two teams are very similar and they've got some very physical guys, they've got some guys that have the speed who want to get in on the forecheck and want to lug the puck, and defensemen that are not giving any free ice in the O-zone.
"So getting my feet wet in the first and then being able to get a regular shift after the power play, penalty kill challenge that was the first 40 minutes, I think it was a good feeling to be out there with the guys and contribute to a win."
*So the Bruins' forward corps will probably remain the same, and it seems like they'll be sticking with the same six defensemen even though Connor Clifton played just 7:38 in Game 4.
John Moore, who hasn't played since Game 7 against Toronto, remains day-to-day with an upper-body injury.
"So [Moore's] not 100 percent, so we've decided to go with Clifton because of that," Cassidy said. "We'll see how it plays out going forward. He'll be evaluated before every game to see what the best decision is for the team. … As long as Clifton plays well, then Johnny gets an extra day or two, then I think it benefits everyone."
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