David Backes could only watch from the press box as the Bruins laid an egg against the Maple Leafs in Game 1.
The moment marked another turn of events in Backes’ see-saw three-year tenure in Boston. But it wasn’t much of a surprise. The former St. Louis Blues captain tallied a career-low 20 points in 70 games in 2018-19.
Backes was an occasional visitor in the press box as a healthy scratch during the regular season. Thursday’s visit to the ninth floor at TD Garden was different, though. It signaled Backes’ first ever healthy scratch for a postseason contest dating back to his 2008-09 rookie campaign in St.