As the Bruins continue to get bodies back as they inch towards a completely healthy roster, head coach Bruce Cassidy and company are looking for consistency. From on ice play, to the same trio of forwards across the four lines, consistency will be key for the Bruins as they look to return to the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the second straight season.

One thing that has been consistent thus far for the Bruins has been David Backes.

Taking a quick glance at his stat line will tell you something different (two goals and two assists in nine games). But Backes has passed the naked eye test every time he steps foot on the ice.

It’s undoubtedly been a strange year for Backes who has missed 17 games due to diverticulitis, which then eventually lead to an unexpected and bit odd colon surgery. After hard work off the ice led to a return much sooner than expected, Backes has been one of the Bruins’ most consistent forwards on the ice.

His effort in Thursday’s 6-1 victory over the Arizona Coyotes was a perfect example of that. With the game tied at 1-1 and the Bruins skating through a lackluster second period, Backes put the team on his back with two straight goals nearly six minutes apart.

“I kind of knew the dam was going to break here eventually, felt like we were creating a lot of good quality chances and just not finishing them off,” Backes said after scoring his first two goals of the season. “Not playing together a ton might factor into it, but I thought there were clean chances where we were able to get good looks and then finish them off into the back of the net.”

Not playing a lot with linemates Danton Heinen and Riley Nash certainly has not been an issue since Backes’ return. Sure, prior to Thursday the goals and assists hadn’t been there for Backes, but what the veteran has done for his two linemates has been nothing short of impressive.

Backes’ voice alone has been a huge help, especially to Nash.

“I don’t know, Dave is a pretty vocal guy on the ice so that definitely helps me,” Nash said. “You know, it’s not my natural personality to be loud and boisterous on the ice, but I’ve been trying to adopt that into my game.”

Heinen seems to agree with Nash in that Backes’ voice on the ice is a huge help.

“Yeah, no, it’s communication for sure,” the former Denver University standout said. “Backes talks a lot on the bench and talks to us a lot of what he wants out there and it’s all for a purpose and so those are things we try to listen to him. He’s been at it a long time and he’s got a good knowledge of the game.”

Paying a third line winger $6 million a season is never an ideal situation for any NHL general manager, but it’s the head coaches job to get the most out his players despite what they make annually and the role they expect to take upon arriving.

With Backes, Cassidy is certainly getting that.

“I think David is the leader in that, in terms of how he wants that style of line to play,” Cassidy said about his power forward. “I think we talked about that at the start of the year trying – to find – build a line around him. And now we are starting to see that. That’s the type of line he wants, and now we have the pieces in-house here that are now starting to fit. It took us a while for different reasons – injuries or trying to find the right chemistry. It looks like it’s falling into place.”

Falling into place they have, especially offensively for the Bruins. Much of that can be attributed to the return of Backes and what he brings to the team both off and on the ice.

With Backes’ line starting to click, Cassidy and his coaching staff now have a little more stability throughout the lineup.

“Yeah, he is, you know, he’s a commanding presence. In the room, he’s a very vocal guy and very intelligent. He knows the game and he knows what to say at the right time,” said Brad Marchand, who scored his 10th goal of the season Thursday night.

“He can really bring a lot of emotion to the game – in the room and on the bench and it shows in his play. You know, he’s always determined, he plays hard, he’s very tough to play against. So he’s big for our team.”

It’s clear the Bruins’ room looks up to Backes. The ex-Blues captain does his part in leading by example.

With consistency in mind and Backes leading by example, Cassidy can go ahead and check another item off the list.