David Backes powers Bruins past Habs in first game back

The NHL’s leading goal scorer tied it in the third period, but it was David Backes won won it for the Bruins with his first goal.

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, but in his first game back after missing 13, David Backes put the Bruins ahead in their 3-1 win on Sunday night.

Another sluggish start looked like it was going to be one of the Bruins poorest efforts of the season, and it took until a four-minute frame in the third period to erase that narrative.

Backes was 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. With nine seconds left on the power play in the third, he fired from the slot to put the Bruins ahead.

The win gives them 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 gotten out to uncharacteristically slow starts the past couple of games against Ottawa and New York, and that carried over a bit on Sunday night, where 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, but all five skaters for each team engaged in extracurriculars that ended with Jake DeBrusk in the box as well, but the B’s still had a power play, though uneventful.

With 13:42 left in the third, Pastrnak did what he does: scores.

Anders Bjork connected with Pastrnak off the side boards and he let loose a cannon from the left circle to make it a 2-2 game for 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.

Jake DeBrusk joined in on the fun with his sixth tally of the season with 13:27 past in the third. 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.

In their last three, they got off to less than ideal starts and had to charge back; that’s not the way they want to get things done, but points are points.

The Bruins continue their five-game homestand on Tuesday night as they host the Hurricanes.

from Boston Herald https://ift.tt/2R961g3