The Montreal Canadiens are at the PPG Paint Arena in Pittsburgh to face the Penguins on Saturday evening.
It’s a match that both teams must win, but for very different reasons, even if both teams have 9 points in the standings.
CH (4-5-1) wants to end a difficult week on the right foot. After two poor performances against the Kraken (8 to 2) on Tuesday and the Capitals (6 to 3) on Thursday, Martin St-Louis’ squad will want to regain their confidence, but above all to regain a work ethic and a certain sense of urgency.
“One play at a time, one action at a time. » These are the words of the head coach. St-Louis wants its players to realize that “every action is important and that it is not those that benefit you, but those that help the team” that must be prioritized.
The coach also held a “punitive” training session on Friday, something the players understood. “We deserved it. It was tough, but when you play like we played in the third, you have to expect this kind of practice,” Juraj Slafkovsky said on Saturday morning.
On this subject, the Habs pilot made no secret of the fact that his team is “playing with fire” and that victory will come first through the players.
“They worked yesterday, but we will talk after the match to see my state of mind. When you want to win, it’s a group decision. There is no magic pill. As a team, we must create a sense of urgency. It’s a group decision and it starts with the players. »
A change will be made to the formation as Arber Xhekaj will regain his place in the defensive brigade, to the detriment of Justin Barron. It is therefore Samuel Montembeault who will start the match in front of the net.
St-Louis also mentioned that the team is taking advantage of this short trip to reunite. “Collectively, we need to be on the road. We’ve been at home a lot since the start and the players have their lives outside. There, we need to come together as a team and the road is perfect for that. »
For their part, the Penguins were also played a nasty trick on Tuesday, in an emotional evening in Pittsburgh. It was the last passage, in theory, of Marc-André Fleury in the city of steel. The Quebec goalie won three Stanley Cups with the Penguins.
The locals quickly took a 2-0 lead, but the Fleury Wild came from behind to win 5-3. It was also a fourth defeat in a row for Sidney Crosby’s gang.
