PITTSBURGH | Worn out in their last two outings and punished by Martin St-Louis, Friday noon, the Canadian players had no choice in responding against the Penguins.
More airtight defensive play, less blatant errors, constant effort until the very end of the match: the Montrealers showed their head coach that they had gotten the message. Except that Sidney Crosby decided that they would not return to Quebec with a victory.
In this 3-1 win for the Penguins, number 87 scored the first two goals of the game.
“We played an honest match. We gave ourselves a chance to win. It’s sad not to be rewarded,” stressed St-Louis.
Removed from the game in two of his last three appearances in front of the Canadian’s net, Samuel Montembeault recovered well, giving in on only two occasions out of the 23 shots he received.
It is certainly a balm for this weakened confidence.
“It was a good match. Now, it’s up to me to work and continue to do good things off the ice, in my preparation and in training, to regain my consistency,” indicated the Bécancour goalkeeper.
Twenty-four shots, including the one that allowed Blake Lizotte to complete the score in an empty net. The only time the Habs allowed fewer this season was against the Kraken (23).
This less busy evening, Montembeault owes it to his teammates who blocked 24 shots.
“We played a solid game in front of Sam, so that he didn’t have to do a lot of work,” praised St-Louis. The chances of scoring were lower than in other matches.”
Yes, the guys sacrificed. And not just David Savard, even if he still dominated his group by putting himself in front of five shots from the Penguins.
“I hardly received any shots from the point,” said Montembeault.
Until the end
What was also interesting to note was that the Canadian fought until the very end. He didn’t leave the chain unloaded as has happened too often since the start of the season. It seems that this time, St-Louis had found the can of Jig-A-Loo.
The Habs looked more like last season which pushed good teams to their limits. With a little more luck and better decisions in the offensive zone, he very well could have pushed this game into overtime and collected, at the very least, a consolation point.
“It’s encouraging, because in the third in Washington, we didn’t fight,” agreed Alex Newhook. In general, I think the guys are fighting hard, although there have been times when the work ethic has hurt us. »
Xhekaj unhappy
The state of health of Juraj Slafkovsky will be monitored when the team returns to training on Monday. With just under five minutes remaining in the game, he received Noel Acciari’s shoulder on the point of the chin.
Obviously in a bad mood, the Slovak retreated to the locker room, throwing his helmet.
Slafkovsky stunned by a blow to the head –
Besides, the match ended with a bit of a fuss. Back in the lineup, Arber Xhekaj let the Penguins forward know his displeasure. A collision bordering on legality ignited the powder moments before the sound of the siren.
Xhekaj venge Slafkovsky, la foire éclate! –
Speaking of legality, one wonders if the Habs defender will not receive a call from the player safety department for the dart he offered to Michael Bunting in the second period.
To be continued during the Sunday break.
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