Backes knocks off the rust in return to Bruins lineup

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BOSTON – David Backes missed the last five games and roughly 10 days of practice following an elbow procedure to remove irritated bursa sacs, so there was expected to be some rust Saturday night against the Rangers.

It wasn’t a big surprise the 32-year-old forward got off to a slow start against the Rangers in a 5-2 loss to the Blueshirts at TD Garden, and that things will just keep getting better for Backes as he gets back up to full speed. That didn’t exactly soften the blow that his forward line with David Krejci and Ryan Spooner didn’t have a great night at both ends of the ice, and still look like they’re forging chemistry together as new linemates.  

RANGERS 5, BRUINS 2:

Backes admitted he could also be better, and that was plainly obvious as he labored slightly to keep up with an ultra-quick pace from B’s and Rangers players that have become well-oiled puck moving machines in the last couple of weeks.

“I felt maybe a half-step slow, just the pace of the game, and being out of it and not being able to really move for seven or eight days, trying to knock a little of the rust off. But when I was in the battles, I felt good, I felt strong, and I just need to get up to pace again,” said Backes, who has two goals and four points in six games along with a plus-3 rating for the year. “Maybe half a game or a period is excusable, but we need to be better, I think, as a line, and our special teams were an Achilles heel tonight. We were minus-three on special teams, and you lose by three goals. I don’t think that’s much of a coincidence.”

Backes finished without a shot on net, but was nearly part of a score when Adam McQuaid fired a shot on net in the third period that popped up and over Antti Raanta. It didn’t end up getting past the Rangers backup goalie, and Backes didn’t get on the board while going minus-2 with five registered hits in 17:05 of ice time while going a perfect 3-for-3 for the face-off circle. 

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