A clearly difficult lesson to learn

In his great wisdom, Martin St-Louis is sometimes poignantly true.

It’s a sign of youthdropped the Canadian coach to explain the stubbornness of his men to complicate their lives and not apply some of his teachings.

There are many times when it’s tempting to play a game and when you’re young, it’s easy to be temptedhe added.

The room slowly shook with the knowing laughter of journalists a little too aware of the truth of the thing, probably replaying the thread of their youth and some bad decisions.

It is these temptations and this lack of experience which, according to St-Louis, largely explain the defeat of his team by a score of 4-1 against the Los Angeles Kings.

Two words to sum it all up: immaturity and simplicity. Too much of the first, not enough of the second. It’s pretty much the same story since the start of this very young season, some evil tongues would say perhaps for two or three years.

St-Louis insists on the importance of good puck management, of limiting turnovers, in short, of making good decisions by accepting the game that presents itself to you rather than trying to twist destiny to your will. so rarely flexible and not very malleable. He repeated it Thursday morning, then his team, his young team, stubborn and inexperienced, hit their noses on the bay window.

If the journalists laughed at the pilot’s comment on youth and temptation, the players had less fun in the locker room after the match.

It was an immature effort on our part, especially considering they played the day before and got here late. We gave them life and allowed them to feel comfortable.

You have to mature a little. We’ve been in this reconstruction for a long time and it’s time to ramp up. Most of the time to win in this league you have to play soberly. This needs to be corrected quicklylaunched Jake Evans, visibly upset.

This weariness of defeat is certainly a good sign. The speech is not the same as the one heard last year. As for words, things are fine, actions, on the other hand, are slow to come.

Once again Thursday evening, CH committed numerous turnovers: fourteen during the first period alone according to the team’s own count.

Turnarounds which allowed escapes, excess numbers and long presences in the Habs zone. The Canadian struggles to counter the imposing teams well established in his territory and the attack does not produce much of value either to compensate for his defensive shortcomings.

Kirby Dach’s line is going through a drought, Suzuki’s line has been dominated in each of the five games so far and the other two are putting up decent performances, but won’t be filling the net every night.

St-Louis identifies the same problem for everyone.

They must send pucks deep into the opponent’s territory, have confidence in their forecheck […] The recipe is there, you have to put the ingredients in itimagined the coach.

It’s there, they know it, but they can’t do it. Not yet.

The CH is a young team, the second softest in the entire National League, but the members of its core have been together for a few seasons. The coach has been the same for almost three years. Its requests, its concepts, its requirements too.

There are limits to youthful mistakes. The proof…

The paradox

Lane Hutson was born on February 14, 2004, very fitting for someone who has a bit of a Cupid’s face. This makes him the second youngest player on the team. And yet, if there is one who, unlike Philippe Lafontaine, does not want to be tempted by bad habits, it is him.

So we can be young and mature.

In the absence of Mike Matheson, who left the game after the first period with an upper-body injury, Hutson played 30:05, the second-highest total in the NHL this year – he’s a 20-year-old rookie with seven games of experience at this caliber – and he was the most visible player on offense. The talent is coming out of his ears, granted, but it’s not normal for him to be the driving force behind the offense.

Unless the fact that he touched the puck so much and generated so much offense says as much about his talent as it does about the offensive inertia of the rest of the team on Thursday night.

He does not take leave even for a single presence. I like his consistency, his level of combativeness. He gave everything to try to help the team.

Everyone wants to make a spectacular play, but sometimes they come after you shoot the net, get the puck, and go on the attack again. You just have to find a balanceHutson dropped.

The Canadian’s little defender is obviously blessed with a rare intelligence of the game, but he is also able to simplify his style when necessary. Why do others struggle so much to assimilate the lesson?

St-Louis assures not to be worried. He said to himself very disappointed and qualified the performance of his players unacceptablebut he is not worried. Not worried about their effort level or talent. Not worried about their desire, their determination, their esprit de corps.

Should it be for their understanding? For its defensive system?

If the CH wants to be in the playoff picture, management’s stated goal, it will have to quickly raise the bar on requests as simple as throwing the puck back in the territory and not forcing plays.

I am proactive, this will be fixeda dit St-Louis.

It is necessary, because one day, from the exhaustion of patience, impatience will be born.