The Boston Bruins announced that forward David Backes is sidelined indefinitely with a leg injury. He will miss at least the next two games, and then be re-evaluated.
“David Backes returned late [Saturday] night with the team. He did meet with our doctors, and they reevaluated the cut. They did some work on it. Obviously, you’ve got great medical care down in Tampa; we’re thankful for that, but our guys wanted their own hands and eyes on it,” said Bruins general manager Don Sweeney. “A timetable hasn’t been set for him.
“You can imagine it was a pretty significant cut, and now that it’s been, sort of, re-cleaned and addressed accordingly, we’ll just let nature take its course, let it heal. I don’t have a definitive timetable on that one, certainly not day to day. I would suspect he’ll be out for a couple games, and then we’ll reevaluate.”
David Backes Injured
He and Tampa Bay Lightning forward Yanni Gourde both hit the ice and went sliding into the net Lightning net. Gourde ended up spinning a bit, and in doing so, his skate appeared to go across Backes’ leg.
Backes skated to the bench in clear discomfort and did not return to the bench.
So far this season, he scored 11 goals and 16 assists for 27 points in 49 games. He also added 49 minutes in penalties. His possession numbers were 55.8 percent Corsi and a relative Corsi of 2.4.
Over his 11-year NHL career Backes has played for the St. Louis Blues and the Boston Bruins. He has put up 234 goals and 291 assists for 525 career points in 850 career games. He was originally drafted in the 2nd round, 62nd overall of the 2003 NHL draft by the St. Louis Blues.
Backes is said to have gotten multiple stitches in his leg right after skating off to the locker room.
What This Means for the Future
It’s another injury setback for Backes, who missed 17 games this season after a bout with diverticulitis. The subsequent illness forced the Minnesota State product to get colon surgery.
Backes’ injury could also force more line-juggling for the Bruins, who are without the services of Patrice Bergeron. Charlie McAvoy is also out for an extended period of time for Boston. The Bruins likely don’t have the horses to catch Tampa Bay in the race for the Atlantic Division.
MONTREAL, QC – DECEMBER 12: David Backes #42 of the Boston Bruins skates during the NHL game against the Montreal Canadiens at the Bell Centre on December 12, 2016 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The Boston Bruins defeated the Montreal Canadiens 2-1 in overtime. (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images)
