Backes cut by skate in face, returns to game against Arizona

A scary moment occurred in the waning minutes of the first period in Tuesday night’s Bruins-Coyotes game. Boston forward David Backes was hit in the face by the skate of Arizona’s Oliver Ekman-Larsson with 3:32 to go in the opening frame, cutting the 13-year veteran. Backes immediately sprinted off the ice and went down the tunnel to be attended by the Bruins’ medical staff.

Ekman-Larsson appeared to fall over after getting tangled up with Backes near the side of the Arizona net. As he fell forward, his feet came up on Backes, who was leaning forward to push Ekman-Larsson away as the puck skittered by. The left skate of Ekman-Larsson ended up catching Backes near the nose, prompting the quick response from the bloodied forward.

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Despite the cringe-worthy scene and the worried response by the winger, Backes returned to the ice for the start of the second period and finished the game. The Bruins ended up winning, 4-3.

This is not the first time that Backes has been nicked up by a skate blade. In March the veteran needed 18 stitches to treat a laceration on his thigh after the skate of Tampa Bay forward Yanni Gourde cut Backes near the back of the knee.

Backes has had bad injury luck since signing in Boston in the summer of 2016. Last season, the forward missed most of November after having colon surgery to treat diverticulitis. In addition to the pair of skate cuts, Backes has also suffered from concussions – most recently in May and October of this year – which have ailed him throughout his career.

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