Bruins expect David Backes to return to action on Saturday

David Backes, who has missed five games with a suspected concussion, appears ready to return to the lineup when the Bruins visit the league-leading Predators. The Bruins assigned rookie Ryan Donato of Scituate to AHL Providence.

BOSTON -- The Bruins may still have to piece together a defense corps when they visit the league-leading Predators on Saturday night, but they’ll get a forward back.

David Backes, who sustained a suspected concussion on Oct. 11 at Edmonton, participated in Thursday’s full practice and said he’s “ready to play … That’s the goal, and that’s where I’m at.” Head coach Bruce Cassidy said “barring anything out of the ordinary, (Backes) should be good” to play on Saturday.

While Backes hasn’t scored a point in the seven games he has played, Cassidy will welcome a veteran presence onto a team that has seen several first- and second-year forwards get off to slow starts. In Tuesday’s 3-2 victory at Carolina, the coach gave Anders Bjork only one second-period shift, and limited Jake DeBrusk to two.

Ryan Donato, the rookie from Scituate who was held out of most of the last seven minutes of Tuesday’s second period until jumping onto a last-minute power play, was assigned to AHL Providence following Thursday’s practice. After scoring nine points in 12 games late last season, when he signed with the B’s upon the conclusion of his junior season at Harvard University, Donato has scored only one goal in 11 games this season, and has gone nine straight games without a point.

“I think (Backes) is good with the younger guys,” Cassidy said. “When he plays with them, he’ll pull them aside and walk through situational details. I’m not privy to every one of those conversations; I just like the fact that he is trying to bring them under his wing.”

Backes, who was playing center at the time of what the team has defined as an “upper body” injury, was back at right wing on Thursday. Joakim Nordstrom, who moved to center after Backes got hurt, stayed at that position, while Bjork and Donato rotated at left wing.

“I think it’s going to be a cool look, if that’s what (Cassidy) decides,” Backes said. “I think (he and Nordstrom) do have similar mindsets on how the game needs to be played. With some brief time together in the preseason, I really liked the way we worked together.”

Backes still doesn’t like the unpenalized Matt Benning check that sidelined him.

“I feel like he’s got every opportunity to hit me through the body and maybe separate me from the puck,” Backes said, “but the majority, if not all the contact, was straight to my face or jaw, chin. To me, that was the kind of hit (the NHL) is trying to get out of the game ... but it put me out for two weeks.”

Backes, who sustained a concussion in last spring’s final playoff game against the Lightning, and another in December 2016, said he thinks “there’s a sensitivity level throughout the league, throughout the educated world, that you don’t want to get hit in the head unnecessarily,” but expressed frustration that he has absorbed such hits that have gone unpunished.

“In the three concussions I’ve had since I’ve been here, there’s been no suspensions on them,” said the third-year Bruin. “All three have been on the line, if not over the line, and there’s been no secondary looks at them.”

Around the boards: Defenseman Charlie McAvoy, also sidelined since Oct. 11 because of what the team says is an upper body injury, didn’t skate or practice on Thursday. “It’s stretched out a little now,” Cassidy said. “When it first happened, I had no idea … and we still don’t, to a certain extent. So yeah, there’s a bit of a concern. Hopefully, whatever it is turns the corner sooner rather later, for his sake and ours.” McAvoy is working out off-ice. … Defenseman Matt Grzelcyk, who missed Tuesday’s game with a lower body injury, skated before practice. Cassidy said Grzelcyk is questionable for Saturday.